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Of Demons And Men Ch. 01

By: Crimson_Rivers



First chapter in a bit of a twisted series I've had in my head for a while. Bon appetite. Criticism, as always, is appreciated.

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"9441. That is what you're called is it not? I request that you rise immediately."

Yeah sure, like she had any obligation to pay anyone even the slightest bit of attention ever since she was thrown in this hell hole. She smiled at the unintended pun.

'Nope, not a damn reason.'

The smile almost immediately wore off. She didn't like the way that last thought brought about a feeling of regret and remorse. Emotions weren't exactly in her profile. So she quickly did away with it and instead, tightened the fetal position she was in and grunted a hushed obscenity at the invading party.

"You'd would do well not to feign languor." His voice took on a slightly annoyed tone. "I strongly doubt slumber on solid burning earth is as comfortable as you convey it to be."

'Just stay still, and it'll leave you alone.' She thought.

"Or I could just stay here until such a time comes where you chose to respond."

Her red eyes immediately snapped open. "Get the fuck out of my head!" She practically screeched, whirling herself around into a half sitting position, with such speed it took the visitor by surprise judging by the look of shock and surprise worn on his face.

A mock smile found its way back onto his handsome face after he quickly recovered. "I may be mistaken so feel free to correct me if I am, but are succubus not meant to have a little more social appeal?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She just stared back in concealed shock of her own.

'A human? No ways... The hell would those weaklings be looking for this deep in here?'

Then it clicked. He was way too large to be a human. Wings weren't visible but tainted feathers lay at his feet, grey looking from where she sat although that could have just been the dim light's doing. She had never actually seen one before but if he was what she thought he was, that made him all kinds of dangerous.

If he read her thoughts at that moment, he made no sign of it.

She steeled her nerves before replying. "You'll have to excuse me. Centuries caged up in solitary down here will take its toll on any demons manners." She replied neutrally, almost sarcastically.

His blue eyes locked onto her red ones through the corroded bars. "Indeed... Indeed. Though if I'm to be truthful, I couldn't care less about your etiquette or lack thereof." He said, his focus never wavering, "Not to be unappreciative at finally finding a demon as uncommon as that of your caliber but I must express my curiosity as to why you're here in the first place."

Her eyebrows furrowed at that. What did he mean by 'Appreciative' exactly? She made the only assumption she could and decided to set the record straight. "Not to be impolite, but there's a certain rulebook we go by that forbids... extensive interaction with supernatural beings for conventional reasons. On that rationale, succubus only engage with mortals."

He simply smiled in response. It was a weirdly honest smile. Something you didn't get much in a place of torture often. "No. No they don't, do they? But what good is a rulebook to you when you're incarcerated in here?"

The look of actual intrigue worn on his face made her rethink the manner in which she responded. "It's about principal. Agreed, there's certainly no reward for ethics but at the very least you still get that peace of mind," she looked down at her soft crimson hands rested in her nude lap and raised one in inspection, "that you're not like the rest of these monsters."

He gave her a slight nod, almost as if he approved of her answer. Then the visitor took a step back followed by another. "If that's the case, it's quite Fortunate I'm not here on my own behalf wouldn't you say? Care to take a trip with me?"

She never got a chance to ask where to. It happened so fast. The bars that held her captive for eons, violently bent and folded in a way reality shouldn't allow, ripping themselves from the rock they were attached to above and below her, aggressively spraying debris all over the place in the process. She sputtered and coughed gasping for air, covering her eyes while stumbling backwards. Her heel caught on one of the fallen pieces of rock and gravity did its job, dragging her to the floor she was all too familiar with now.

When she looked up from the shelter of her forearm, dust clouded the air and she could barely make out her saviour's silhouette shadowing the faded light that came from behind him. Except it didn't take on the shape she remembered. Instead, what seemed to be bat wings rose from his back and she could swear the long curving shapes atop his head were horns. Red ruby's shone brightly where his eyes were supposed to be along with jagged edges running down the dark outline in such a manner that she couldn't help but question if it was even the same being in the first place.

However, that image didn't exist when it cleared up provoking her to question her own sanity. No horns, no demon eyes, no wings and definitely no barbed demon skin. Just as before, he resembled the look of an ordinary human. The only thing setting him apart from them was the added glow, obsidian body armour which he filled in well along with the extra feet in his size, impossible for any human to attain.

He waited patiently for her to regain her senses, not moving a step from where he stood as if not affected by the dirt. Those glimmering blue eyes just stared at her in an almost ghostly fashion.

'What is wrong with you?! You could have warned me at the very least dammit!' is what she felt like screaming, but thought better of it. It was unwise making enemies with the likes of him. 

"That wasn't very nice," She coughed.

"Apologies," He simply stated, "Shall we?" His right hand was raised in a reassuring gesture, pointing down the passageway.

She was still wary though, especially after what she thought she just saw. No doubt he sensed it but remained patient. Without taking her eyes off him, she slowly she found her feet again and cautiously stepped forward through the gap that used to hold the grill. Immediately shivers cascaded down her spine at the notion of freedom, quelling the former fears she had momentarily. Having being sentenced to eternity for her shortcomings, liberty was something she had long given up on. And yet here it found her, in the form of this armoured knight towering above her, a few steps ahead.

Then it occurred to her while following behind him; he promised nothing of the sort. She didn't know where in hell he was taking her in the first place.

Her hopes were quickly extinguished at the first-hand knowledge that there were worse things hell had to offer, much worse than eternal imprisonment. But if that were the case, what would he be doing here fetching her himself?

The corridors they walked down could easily be associated with mine tunnels that had prison cells cheaply built into the charred maroon stone. She was yet to see one with an actual inhabitant though. Only a handful of the many wooden torches mounted on the walls seemed to have been lit recently and far less were actually burning. It was the same no matter which route they took.

Looking back at the memories when she was first dragged down here there was so much life. Too much for her liking actually. Every single cell she passed were crowded with minions of different manner, scrambling for her attention. Some screaming for her to come closer, some yelling rape threats, and others just generally looking on passively with lustful looks in their eyes. The noise back then was deafening. What had happened to everyone? Why was she the only one left? Or was she simply last in line, soon to find out?

She looked at his back from where she followed and decided she wasn't going to get far on speculation.

'These are all questions you can answer.' she thought following him around another bend.

He turned his head briefly and regarded her through his peripheral vision before looking forward again. "Except you never really asked, did you?" came the reply.

"Did I have to? You've already proven that mental boundaries don't mean a thing as far as privacy is concerned." she countered.

"Your attention was all I required. You already know that though so I won't bother explaining myself any further."

"And he does it again..."

"Perhaps. Though many may argue that was simply common sense." He suddenly stopped in front of what she recognised as an old unused mine elevator shaft at the end of the tunnel. Pitch black to look down into. The same went to say for the view above them. "The lifts don't work anymore. We'll have to improvise. Acquire that torch over there."

She looked around the dark space and just as she was about to state the obvious, one spontaneously burst into flames.

Okay. Telekinesis as well as telepathy. Guess it explains who lit those other torches back there.'

She spared him a look of interest first, but proceeded to grab it without asking questions.

"Have you any wings?" he asked.

"No. They took them just before they threw me down here." she answered approaching him with the burning stick in hand. "I understand they put all personal belongings in the warden's vault. It's a room just beneath his office."

"Well we presently do not have the luxury of time. Besides, the said vault is probably non-existent by now." The succubus bit back a protest as her body was hoisted off the ground in one fell swoop, almost dropping the light in the process.

Looking over his shoulder, doubts were reassured when pearl white wings materialised out of thin air and spread with such velocity, all but small flames were left burning on the stick. She was awestruck at how they were easily six times the length of her old ones and judging by the size, way heavier too, but he didn't even seem affected by the weight in the slightest.

They rose and held their position, giving her time to get a proper grip on his shoulder and wrap her tail around the forearm she sat on before the wings fiercely flapped down. The kick back almost knocked out the air in her lungs. Whatever fire was left on the torch was reduced to sparks as he flew up at an ever increasing blistering pace. The wings most demons were equipped with were webbed and in the majority of cases, could never achieve such raw speed when ascending. Not without slipstreaming anyways.

The fire was reignited in earnest, by him she guessed, yet she couldn't see the point. The light was short ranged and even if it wasn't, everything was a blur. Between the cold wind coming from his wings and that of the ascension, she could barely make out a thing and wondered how the heck he knew where they were going.

'Wait... Cold? This is hell! I don't care how fast we're going, the air isn't supposed to be cold!'

"What happened here?!" She shouted, not sure if he heard.

He acknowledged her with a look and looked back up once again. An opening was visible up ahead. It was still a speck in the dark but it was still visible and growing brighter with each passing second.

'You'll find out in an instant.' It took her a moment to note that his lips didn't move. She'd never get used to that.

He flapped his feathered wings a few more times, propelling them even faster just as they reached the exit. Her eyes were temporarily blinded by the light. It had been very different in the blocks when she could go years on end before someone would think to come down and light a torch down the corridor. Even then it would only last a few hours before it burnt out. The last few decades though, they hadn't even bothered. When her pupils readjusted, what lay before them was something very different than what she remembered. Something that broke her composure entirely.

Her rescuer had slowed his climb to a crawl miles in the air, letting her take it all in. They were currently in the fifth circle she recalled. The third largest part of the underworld. Home to the gluttons, hoarders and the selfish if memory served her well. Reputable to be the brightest part of hell as its inhabitants were constantly bombarded with showers of rain, hail and snow made of fire and lava. Souls that screamed here could be heard all the way up at limbo. But today, not a sound was made.

"Holy sh-.."

"Don't start. Not with me here."

"Sorry. I am, really. But... What the actual fuck happened here? Where is everyone? Where's the rain?"

Her view spanned to the horizon, and the only thing that lit the barren land where the red cracks in the earth. Even then, they were only glowing meaning it had been like this for a while. Soot covered the realm leaving every other piece of earth grey and dull with a slight mist hanging in the air.

"This was once one of the hottest parts of hell..." She thought out loud. "Why?"

"The question you should be asking is 'who.'"

She sat up on his left arm, her right arm locked around his shoulder plate while her legs and tail hung down.

"Okay. Hows about we start with you. What's one of the infamous seven Archangels doing picking up a sex demon this deep in hell? Pretty audacious wouldn't you agree?"

He smiled and asked, "How'd you figure it out?"

"The wings, you only have two, and even then you seem accustomed to hiding them."

A distant look replaced the smile on his chiseled features while he observed the wastelands. "A common misleading stereotype. The determining factor is based on whether or not we're obliged to wear and cover ourselves with them when we meet our maker.

"Semantics aside, my given name is Sabrael and yes. What I'm doing is treason of the highest order."

"Then why do it? Aren't angels created for specific purposes and bound to servitude their entire lifetime?"

"Mankind are not the only heirs to the privilege of free will."

She gave him an incredulous look. "And this is how you spend yours? Venturing into taboo territory and breaking demons outta prison?"

"Look around," he half whispered, "To begin with, does it appear as if anyone is concerned whether or not you're in chains?."

She unintentionally obeyed and gave the circle another look. He had a point. "Guess not. But I'll bet my tail there are entire hosts of angels under your command wondering what in this life you're doing here."

"Only my duty," He stated. "The reason for my creation was to safeguard the collective integrity of the three worlds. The heavens, Earths and here." He finished in a dreaded tone, as if he couldn't actually afford to say 'hell'.

There was a long moment of dragged out silence where they both stared into space before she actually responded. "Looks to me like you failed. Both your men and your master."

He sharply snapped his head to face her, fury visibly burning in his eyes. "No. Not just yet."

The tone it was said in ran chills down her spine. She immediately felt sorry for the poor idiot responsible for this mess in the first place.

Sabrael's left arm came around to hold her by the torso under her other arm pit. She quickly exhaled when she saw him raise his wings even higher. The shock at the sudden burst of speed was easier to cope with this time. It took him mere seconds to break through the clouds of ash ripping a hole in the counterfeit sky.

Gigantic diamond rocks lay up ahead, jutting out of the ceiling at all sorts of angles. They marked the start of the division between the fourth and third circle. Did he intend to take them all the way up to limbo?

The answer made itself known sooner than expected. 'Only my kin and live humans can depart through limbo. You on the other hand will be taking another route. We are nearly there.'

'You haven't even told me what you want or expect of me!' she thought back, 'Where am I going?!'

Sabrael's wings stopped beating and simply spread but the climb continued. In the distance she spotted a large distant sphere. It appeared to be a crystal much different from the rest, stationary in the air. That appeared to be his target.

'9441, heed my next words attentively.' It seemed to her that words spoken mentally were capable of carrying along not only meaning but the demeanor in which they were said in as well. Right now, he was disturbingly serious. 'I do not offer you your freedom as you may or may not expect. That said; freedom can still be earned, though that will be entirely of your own doing.'

Doubt rung in her mind at what he was suggesting, 'you wanna to make a contract, with me?'

'Not possible. Not by your standards anyway. Angels have no blood to make a bond with.' Sabrael flattened his wings, breaking the pace of which they travelled as they approached the sphere. 'What I ask for however,' he continued, 'is a gentlemen's agreement.'

The succubus regarded him with a baffled expression. Without intending to she broke off from their mental conversation. "Sabrael, if you're okay with me calling you that. You are aware that I'm still a demon, yes? You couldn't possibly hope to trust me with unbound pacts."

"Not if I don't give you the proper incentive, no. Modus operandi here is such that the end result of whatever mission a demon's tasked with is always to the welfare of hell's overall goal and that of its lords. That being hoard as many souls as you can before the cut-off day, correct?" They drifted to a stop in front of the round object.

Turns out it wasn't made of crystal but rather ice. That would explain the lack of gloss. It just hovered in space at about the size of a boulder, unaffected by gravity yet nothing was holding it up. Sabrael's mammoth wings started beating once again, ensuring he never lost altitude.

"But sometimes, the will of one's master is not necessarily reflected by the views of his servants," he continued, eyes transfixed on her. "I'm assuming that's the reason I found you where you were. You were unable to fulfil the terms of a contract. Perhaps because your goals shifted to more personal ones along the way?

"I wouldn't condemn you," he went on when she didn't respond. "For all their brutality and ingratitude, humans have a way of getting under your skin and leave you doing things you never dreamed yourself capable of."

She looked away in shame. "You don't know anything about me," she murmured.

"I didn't claim to. But I do suspect you aspire for more than what this place has to offer. If you assist me mend this plight, I can promise you the opportunity to ensure you never have to see not only your prison cell, but the netherworlds as a whole ever again."

"You're lying."

"I am not."

"Yes you are!"

"I'm an angel 9441. Lying doesn't compliment my method of doing things."

"Stop screwing with me! And my name's Theo dammit! Make use of it!" she yelled. That last outburst surprised even her and she looked back at him apologetically.

It's not that she didn't want to believe him, but when something's too good to be true, it probably is. Was he even hearing himself? Agreed, it was a lovely notion and not one she didn't often fantasise about, but regrettably this place was one tied to her very existence since her inception. There were no negotiating terms. It was law. Things such as which he offered remained dreams.

Sabrael watched her for a moment. Her emotionless gaze didn't waver either.

"Very well, Theo" he finally said, giving off a sigh in the process. "Evidently it would be a waste of time trying to convince you with words. Perhaps actions will yield better results."

The Archangel reached his free arm forward and touched the ball of ice with his index finger. Where it made contact, the ice took on liquid form, the change spreading to the rest of the sphere until it was all a ball of unsteady water.

He was just breaking all sorts of rules today she thought. Hell was not supposed to see a drop of water in its lifetime and here he brought an entire tank's worth.


Of Demons And Men Ch. 01



Looking back at him she asked; "Neat trick butta... How's this supposed to convince me?"

'It's not," he replied. "Hold your breath or not, it makes no difference."

"What?"

"This will hurt. Forgive me."

Her perch on his left forearm, without a hint of a warning whatsoever, flung her high into the air, giving her an immediate reminder why she needed her wings back so badly. Such abuse was rather normal, even expected coming from a demon but never in her wildest dreams did she expect it from an angel too. An involuntary shriek ripped itself from her throat but was choked off when he caught her there with one hand.

Panic surged through as she felt him draw her back past his shoulder, then savagely slam her into the ball of water so hard it left her stunned. He was right, it did hurt and a burning hate for him easily found its way into her heart. She wasn't even at liberty to scream her worth with the way he gripped her. She clawed at his fingers, frantically kicking her legs. He held her in place though; steadily without much visible effort, if any at all.

Through blurred vision she distantly noted something in his right hand, metallic and long. His grip loosened enough for her to breathe, only for her to be choked by the liquid surrounding her. Her lungs burned for the air she was so cruelly deprived of. So much she started to see the dark flashes in her eyes associated with lack of oxygen.

It served painful memoriam of what she hated most about this place. The mercy of passing out or death didn't exist. You have no other option but to endure every single bit of torture you were put through regardless of how many times over it could kill a live person. 

'But at least the demons are decent enough to give us a chance to beg for mercy!'

Then something unexpected happened. Something that was not supposed to. She thought herself insane when her ears heard distant voices. Voices of laughter with music playing in the background, fading in and out as she became less and less in touch with the painful reality in front of her. A blue tint gradually lit up the darkness she saw with every flash.

Her body had stopped its protest for air but she still struggled to stay awake, trying to make sense of how it was even possible she felt like she was about to fall unconscious. She registered Sabrael's arm lowering, after another flash of consciousness she heard a splash. Her eyes just barely split open just in time to watch him push a sword right through her torso. Millions of tiny air bubbles fizzed out and her view was painted maroon. She could taste the blood forcing its way up throat as he pushed his blade deeper. The sound of ribs cracking was distinctly audible and at that moment the only thing going through her head was 'why?'

Yet even that thought threatened to be drowned out by the sounds surfacing all around her. Over nine-hundred years and she'd never been treated to a dream or hallucination yet this one, this particular one seemed even more real than the sword lodged through her chest. Why was it that all her senses seemed to be taking part in it?

It wasn't just the voices. With every flash she could see a little bit more of the new environment, she could hear the music more clearly and she could even smell the remnants of a barbeque. In the end she couldn't even tell if the flashes were those of the room she currently stood in, or the water she was drowning in.

Even the pain in her chest wasn't as notable anymore. Her head felt just as light though. As a result she stumbled forward, struggling for purchase of anything and everything she could get a hold of. Her hand brushed something wooden and cold. It was immediately recognised as a source of stability, to hell with whatever was on it.

Something brittle shattered in the background followed by another. She collapsed onto her knees, back against the vanity struggling to catch her breath. She couldn't feel any water anymore, neither was there a gloved hand around her throat. Her vision came too slowly as the throbbing in her head ebbed away. 

Her hand was clasped onto a drawer handle, slightly pulled ajar. Beside her she saw a broken lava lamp on the floor its content's spilt on a grey carpet. Next to it were sketch pads and art stationery alongside with it.

"Sa- Sabrael," she weakly called out. Her voice was so hoarse and scratched she barely recognised it as her own. There was no response.

Looking around the moon lit room she made out a disheveled bed, chest of drawers, built in closet and a couple of clothes shrewn about the floor.

She swore as she forced herself back onto unsteady feet, a hand still on the vanity for balance.

"Sabrael," she called out more clearly, "I know you can hear me."

But more of the same. Was he purposely ignoring her? Or did he intentionally leave her stranded in full knowledge that he hadn't so much as bothered to brief her on her objectives or environment. What year was it? Whose room was this? Whose...

'Whose body am I in?'

The moment she caught sight of the mirror, she could do nothing but stand frozen at the sight of what stared back. The scarred and calloused red skin, the burning red eyes, the flame charred hair, it was as if it had never been there before.

'What did you do to me?'

Theo hadn't even felt herself move, she most certainly didn't remember giving her body the command, but before she knew it, she was bent over the counter and practically breathing against the glass whilst examining every feature of herself. This was definitely her face, yet at the same time, it wasn't. Not with skin this near flawless.

A hand ran through the wavy disorganised mess that was her hair. It just bordered on being blond from the light brown shade it took. But what entranced her most were the eyes that gave off a striking resemblance to sapphires with the way they glistened, even in the dark.

Two knocks resounded from the bedroom door jerking her back to reality in a panicked frenzy. She looked around for any viable hiding place. One thing she knew didn't sit well with anyone, regardless of timeline, people did not bode well with trespassers.

"Theo sweetie? Is everything alright?"

'What. In. The. Fuck.'

There was a moment given for a reply but the addressee was just far too stunned to formulate a valid response.

"I heard noises so I thought I'd come up and check on you. It's been half an hour, you okay in there?" a genuinely concerned voice asked. It was definitely female and sounded elderly.

'The hell did Sabrael do exactly?!'

"Theo?" The knock came again but louder this time, "I know you're in there."

'... The fuck is she? How does she know who I am?'

"Theo!" She persisted. The door handle rattled but didn't open, indicating it was locked.

"I'm fine!" she shouted back, in a startled voice, hardly convincing. "I'm okay, it's... I just broke... Look I'm alright, I'll be right down. Sorry to make you worry."

Another pause followed implying whoever it was on the other side of the door wasn't convinced.

"Well... Consider hurrying it up then. The present's aren't gonna open themselves you know. Oh, and FYI, your father's getting impatient. He still thinks you don't know about the car."

'The hell is a car? Okay, that's it. I'm done. I need some effing answers before I go crazy.'

Theo looked around the room for a source of information. A diary, a calendar, map, anything. She opened drawers and ruffled through them haphazardly. Then switched her attention over to the closet. Clothes flew about to no luck. Anything that was in tidy condition before was left in a mess and she was no closer to discovering anything about the owner of this body before her besides hobbies and fashion choices.

"Who were you!" she screamed in frustration, gripping and pulling on her hair with both hands.

A flashing light in her peripheral vision caught her attention. It was coming from a wall mounted desk on the other side of the room.

Her feet trailed towards it cautiously, maneuvering around the items decorating the floor. It was flat and rectangular by the looks of it, silver in colour. She crouched down to be eye level with the object to examine it. Out of curiosity she ran a hand over the cold metallic surface, right down to the side.

'A... book?'

She took a breath before pushing the laptop open. Her eyes widened at the revelation of the life she'd stolen. Guilt racked her in ways that a devil should not have to feel. She could never accomplish this should she live to be a million.

The date was set to April the tenth 2015 in the bottom right corner. A silent alarm flashed on the center of the screen reminding her of her twenty first birthday. Behind that were images galore of her current human form alongside other people you could not pay her enough to recognise. She actually seemed... happy and in some instances downright ecstatic with both goofy and flirty expressions worn on her pretty features.

'Is... Any of this real..?'



Of Demons And Men Ch. 02-03



So I have no Idea if anyone's still keeping track of this considering how long it's been since the prologue. I'm extremely sorry for the delay. Free time was a privilege for me these last few months.

Excuses aside this story will make a lot more sense if you read the intro first but you're under no obligation to do so. It's quite long so have background music out.

Vomitoriums are still a myth. So are succubus. And I threw in a couple of easter eggs. Actual sex only kicks in in the next installment so consider this mostly story oriented.

That said, dig in.

--------------------------

She sat staring at the black device in her hand. A contraption the human race practically worshiped as if it was the next best thing since orgasms.

'And I can't even figure out bottom from top. What happened to old fashioned letters Anyways?'

The screen read fifty-six missed calls and a hundred and twenty-four unread messages. Another popped in and she unintentionally frowned.

'How much of a socialite were you anyways?'

She very well would have loved to know what they texted about, who she generally spoke to and how she interacted with them. Theo turned the metallic phone over, it's smooth texture cool as it slid against her fingers. It bore a silver logo on the back in the shape of what seemed to be a bitten apple. She almost laughed out loud at its sight. There was a special place in hell reserved for the fella who designed this piece of art no doubt. Now millions of none the wiser humans were forced to carry the emblem of their gained "knowledge" in their pocket like a sort of achievement?

She briskly looked around to ensure nobody had heard her giggle before her thoughts returned to the subject in hand.

'Why didn't I notice that before? He really does have his grubby little paws in everything doesn't he?'

The satire wore off just as quickly as it came when she turned the phone back face up. Her face populated the lock screen's background image. The only thing setting them apart now were the eyes. The old Theo's pupils were coloured blue whereas her's retained her red, uniform to all demons. Besides that, she never carried over any other property.

Then again, even if you did run a comparison between her demon form and this one, there were going to be very few physical qualities to migrate in the first place.

She ran a hand through the wavy untamed mess that was her dirty blond hair, relishing the soft texture. By the time Sabrael found her back in the blocks, her old body's hair was mostly either burnt or broken away shards of what could easily pass for malleable spikes, all but worn away by the centuries and hazardous living environments.

And the smooth and completely blemishless skin shown in the picture were a far cry away from her original red and black surface, bleached by scorching heat, and as calloused as the hard sole of one's foot.

But that's where the dissimilarities ended. For everything else, she might as well have been staring at a mirror.

The thick eyelashes that made it seem as though she had constant layer of mascara on. Her naturally pink, delicate cupid bow lips and the small and narrow straight nose with the slight upturn at the end all matched her last attributes to the cell. It was all wrapped up in pleasantly soft and lightly tanned skin. Perfect aside for a few light freckles spanning across the bridge of her nose. Yet even they seemed as though they should have been there, and to remove them, would be to take away from her overall beauty.

'There truly is no such thing called an ugly succubus,' she smiled.

This was easily the most fetching iteration of herself she'd ever garnered here on earth, regardless of what aspect you were looking at.

Even more than that, her body was also the most identical resemblance to her demon form back in hell. Then again, unlike the last couple of times she was summoned up to the land of the living, this body was no avatar.

'I literally stole it...' she thought, watching her hand flex around her phone, testing out her motor skills.

She couldn't help but constantly wonder about this form's previous owner. It was becoming a sort of unhealthy obsession.

In the short period she'd lain claim to it, Theo hadn't learn't much about her. She incessantly speculated the actions the old Theo would have taken in some of these situations directly after she made a decision herself. The words she would say, people she'd be with and why. Her habits, her hobbies, friends, the general likes and dislikes, dos and don'ts. She hardly knew a thing.

This was problematic for her in the sense that it meant she couldn't adjust to the lifestyle's standards previously set if she didn't even know what those standards were to begin with.

More and more people familiar with her former self would notice the differences in behaviour or demeanour. She'd have to make up lies to cover up for the inconsistencies and more lies to cover up for the first set of lies until she couldn't keep track of them all. At that point, someone would catch on that something was very off and it'd practically turn into a modern day witch hunt all over again.

'Not your fault. Briefing was skipped entirely and let's not get started on non-existent body trial runs among other things.'

Her knee started bouncing up and down nervously. She willed it to stop but the other knee started up in its place. Irregardless of how she wanted to play the blame game, it was her mess now. She was the one who'd have to bear the consequences should it have to come to that.

She dropped the phone down on the wood with a clatter and gripped fist fulls of hair and tugged painfully in frustration. Why hadn't he just followed damn protocols? Would it have been too much to ask?!

The answer to that question brought a bit of humour to her world. Asking an angel to adhere to demonic principles. What irony.

Regardless, surely even he must have had a basic understanding of the repercussions soon to take place when any demon jumps worlds without following the right procedures. Worse off, now she didn't even have a body to return to after what that brute did to it when detaching her soul.

'You could have at least bothered to give me a clue of any sort by now dammit,' she thought, faintly hoping Sabrael was within hearing range.

Her frustration was validly placed in her opinion. She last walked this world when gold was still an official currency after all. When monarchs were all powerful heads of state, and anything associated with science would get you the death penalty at the hands of the church. But it had been over a fortnight now and she was still to hear from her contractee.

And then there was Leslie... There were more questions revolving around that girl than you'd find in a three hour exam paper. She had left little doubt that she definitely had an end game and was above nothing to ensure she got what she wanted. She always did, and no doubt she herself was part of the means. What's more is Leslie made no secret of it. It amazed her, and even ashamed her how quickly she was willing to forgive her 'friend' for the immoral acts she committed last time they met. The things they cost her in the end. The people...

'Am I a masochist?'

No. Hardly anything close to that. At the moment, Leslie was the closest thing to 'familiar' as she could get. When people are ripped out and away from their comfort zone, they tend look for the next closest place to call home that they can find. For her, that was Leslie. But there was simply one issue with that which Leslie had proven to be true time and time again. She just couldn't be trusted.

She sighed for the umpteenth time in the last two hours as another message dropped in.

"Miss Summers. Fair and fine if you believe this lecture is above you, as always. But if you could please be so kind as to put that device on silent for the benefit of everyone else here actually trying to pass their module."

'Miss Summers. Miss... Summers. That's me isn't it?'

Theo quickly looked up at their lecturer to find him staring back at her in a most irritated fashion. Her eyes then travelled the span of the room to find many of the other students looking back her way. Some annoyed as well, others simply had not the courage to lock her gaze. A few did smile back though and one even waved.

"I'm sorry," she uttered back at the lecturer.

A brief look of brief surprise covered his somewhat aged features before it was replaced by one of scorn. "Sarcasm isn't very becoming of you young lady," he responded, "Just turn that thing down."

That remark left her a bit confused. It's not like she apologised out of spite after all. This wasn't the first time the professor, Dr. Chaffield was it? Well whatever he called himself, it wasn't his first time exhibiting animosity towards her. Like he held a personal vendetta for some disservice she did him in the past. Funny considering that he seemed to be a nice person otherwise. To everyone else anyways.

Brushing it off her gaze drifted back to the cellphone on the counter.

'Silent?'

Her focus turned to the glass of water beside her then back to the phone.

'Silent,' she congratulated herself.

Just as she was just about to drop the device in the liquid, two light taps were felt on her left forearm. Theo turned to find a brunette sitting there silently holding out her hand. It took her a short moment to catch on, but instead of letting go of the phone, she reluctantly laid it onto the open palm.

'Am I supposed to know her?' she thought watching her fiddle around with a button on the side, 'Do I pretend like I do? Or do I just ignore her too?' She skimmed through her recent memory trying to match her face to any of the thousands of photo's that lay catalogued in her computer. Nothing came up, not that she could be sure. Those were a ton of photos.

The cellphone was slid across the counter bringing her back to reality. She looked at the brunette with a thankful expression on her face.

"You really have no clue on how to operate that thing, do you?" she whispered to her.

Theo looked back at it in concealed shame. "It's new..."

"A phone's a phone Theo. Seen one, seen 'em all," came the response. "Consider reading the manual though. It'll be tons of help."

She simply nodded her head, writing to memory that useful bit of information, before looking down to her watch intending to count down the seconds till the end of the lesson.

However something else entirely awaited her attention on the wooden countertop, something that wasn't there before. Theo quickly looked to the girl beside her with a look of intense scrutiny as she innocently jotted down notes.

'Couldn't be...'

Cautiously, she picked up the white feather and examined it with a bewildered look.

'But then when did he..?'

She frantically looked around the class for any sign of her summoner. Angels often took on disguises when they walked the earth that made them very difficult to distinguish them from actual human beings. And in a class of forty, she'd normally be none the wiser as to which one he was. But placing the feather in front of her to simply screw with her generally isn't an Angel's style.

'There has to be reason...'

She'd have better luck searching the room for any possible places the plume could have come in through. The lecture room was nested deep in the faculty building so there were no windows and the ventilation ducts were covered by nets. There were no gaps above or below the door either.

In confusion she inspected the white object again trying to figure out its game, rolling it between her index finger and thumb.

Theo vaguely registered her classmate asking if everything was okay. All the looking around must have inadvertently garnered some attention. The inquiry went unanswered though, finding herself way too preoccupied with the object she held.

A decision was spontaneously made and with almost little thought. She suddenly stood up and asked; "Sir, may I be excused?"

The addressee directed his gaze up to where she was and frowned. Chaffield was in his early sixties. His unkempt wavy hair was all white with no indication of its former colour. The same went for his prickly beard. It's the wrinkles that bunched up where his nose and forehead met that really brought out the annoyance. "Young lady, there's less than ten minutes to go."

"It's terribly important professor," she countered, pocketing the object and pulling her backpack onto the counter, "no disrespect meant".

A faint wry smile appeared on his face. "Of course, you might as well since you're clearly already packing your bags. Would my refusal make any difference to you of all people?"

Theo looked up from the aforementioned task, taken back by the way his words were dripping with malice.

"No, no it wouldn't. You'd pass this class without attending a single lecture anyway." He continued, looking back down to his notes. "In fact I should be commending you for even showing up in the first place Miss Summers. Go on. Give him my regards."

The expression she wore hardened. It was confirmed. What quarrel did she have with this guy of all people? He clearly didn't like her for some reason and it went way beyond classroom activities.

'Cripes, I don't have the time for this.'

"I'll get the assignment details from someone later," she finished as if his last few words had flown over her head. It's not like there was any use in trying to explain the situation. The fact that she barely knew anyone to get notes from made her attention, but she quickly ignored that too.

Theo zipped up her bag and quickly shuffled behind the rest of the students in her row, uttering apologies as she passed each of them. She could feel the eyes of practically the whole class pasted on her as she jogged down the stairs to level ground, not entirely for innocent reasons either. A glance to the teacher spoke volumes on how much he was actively trying to disregard her presence.

'Cute.'

She felt her middle finger twitch and seriously considered letting it have its way.

Theo slipped out the door and leaned against it as soon as it shut, chin up eyes closed as she let loose the breath she was holding.

'Well that was awkward. And subtle. Way to keep a low profile.'

She hated moments like those. She was never in the spotlight for good reason. It came with the occupation but you never really get used to it. Knowing humans were judging you left and right with words like slut, whore and prostitute cascading through their minds. Because let's face the facts, that's what she was right? She'd have sex with right about any Tom, Dick and Harry she was ordered to in exchange for essence, blood and even one's soul. Eventually they'd think so too once she got her job specification. Self-worth meant nothing to demons.

'So why the fuck do I care?'

Theo pushed off the hard surface and looked down both directions of the empty hallway for some indication of the angel's whereabouts. Naturally, he was absent, but she did note a handle less door down the hallway swinging back and forth indicating that it had been used recently. It was just past noon and the hallway was eerily quiet, reserved, almost lethargic. Mostly due to the fact that classes hadn't been released for their afternoon break.

She headed on in that direction, her heart pounding harder with every step.

But a gust of wind that passed behind her spun her around in search of the new presence and yet nothing was there. There was evidence that something did just pass in the form of a littered sweet wrapper gently gliding down to earth and the hanging directional sign swinging back and forth on its strings, but there wasn't any actual person there.

The passageway was way too long with no viable hiding places for anybody to disappear in or any nearby junctions to facilitate an instant escape. She back pedalled a bit, scanning the area just to make sure she wasn't missing anything before turning around and pushing through the door, recalling the last couple of days that had been leading up to this just before leaving for school.

-------

The night she was reincarnated was arguably of the most unsettling summonings to date. Never mind being impaled by six feet of silver or having all of hell reduced to an ash tray. It was a perfect depiction of the bright lights syndrome at its best, and may have even introduced a whole new definition to it.

It was the previous bearer of this body's birthday night, validly hers too now. She discovered her parents had decided to spoil her with a birthday party. One that would require her complete attendance. Normally blending in would have proven to be of very little difficulty had she not been the center of attention.

Still, a party's a party right? And what birthday bash doesn't consist of celtic music, feasting on swine and getting drunk off your ass on rum while running back and forth between vomitoriums?

Yeah well... They did things a bit differently now to say the least...

Night was brighter than she ever recalled with candles completely replaced with much brighter lamps that made it look just short of daylight. Throw carpets spanned every single inch of the floors as if they cost nothing to make. Sets of cream couches populated what must have been the living room area and in turn people populated them.

The room opened up to the outside world where she could make out what looked like a large illuminated bathing pool with people playing inside. The source of the music seemed to originate from out there.

You could just tell, the old her would have probably thrived under the current conditions although she couldn't fathom how. For instance, it's flattering getting hit on the first few times, she'd forgotten what it was like actually. But it got old quick once you saw through their intentions. The favours they expected with every present they presented. The hug that lingered a little too long, the not so innocent kiss on the jaw she thought was intended for her cheek or the inappropriately placed hand on her lower back. From those her age to even old men alike.

It came with the occupation she supposed. That this was ultimately all her fault for being what she was. Obviously people were bound to find her just short of irresistible yet even with that in hindsight, her status as a succubus was mostly irrelevant here. The problem was with the original Theo.

Nobody she exchanged pleasantries with really seemed to have liked her. The multitude of eyes subtly pointed in her direction practically screamed it. All those fake smiles plastered on their faces, so many wielding eyes so full of contempt. It begged the question what they were all doing in attendance if they didn't like her so much.

That same judgmental look was everywhere. From those she passed the moment she strode out her room, the couple kissing as she walked down the stairway, into the foyer area where her mother was interacting with guests and everyone loitering in the passageway towards the living room. They all looked at her wearing such kind countenance but their eyes clearly said otherwise.

'Treat me with respect but you're under no obligation to like me are you?'

Status quo (the last time she was here anyway) was that if you detested someone, you'd probably boycott their parties. But if you didn't, say you saw a free opportunity to get wasted for instance, then at the very least you wouldn't bother making an appearance with gifts and cards. No, instead you'd come with all sorts of disguised insults to rain down on them while trashing the "celebration" by whatever means you can. Preferably the expensive means at the cost of the host. So what's their excuse for their decency?

Maybe she was just being a bit too paranoid. It had been eons after all and that's a lot of time for things to change.




Of Demons And Men Ch. 02-03



'Bullshit. Humans don't change.'

A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder and lightly clasped her there, breaking her from her train of thoughts and sparking alarm in the girl. Theo immediately spun around startled, dropping a piece of paper she was holding and backing away a step or two.

"Whoa, easy," said the encroacher, hands held up as if a declaration peace, one clutching wine glasses and the other an opened champagne bottle. "I come bearing gifts." Her arms dropped down to pour the drink in a glass before continuing, "I've been calling your name like an idiot but you're clearly stuck too deep in your own private world to notice. Do you have any idea how long you've been standing there?"

"L... Leslie?" she asked completely ignoring the question.

"Theopatra?" she countered handing her the glass with a fleeting quizzical expression worn on her face. "I have to say," she continued, lifting the bottle up to eye level and looking at the label with a sparkle in her eye, "your parent's store the best kinda shit in their cellar. Look at this, '1905'. Stuff is older than my gran'ma." She rotated the Champaign around slowly before lowering it and looking back at the still stunned Theo. "Not that I ever knew her, Let alone when she was born for that matter," she added. "So... Hie." That last line was said with a wide grin and a tilted head.

Theo was openly astonished with the ease in which her friend greeted her. Like they hadn't just spent nearly a millennium apart.

"You... You're here..." she said lamely. God she couldn't even complete a sentence. She had to actively suppress the need to fling herself into the brunette's arms and squeeze until she broke something.

Leslie giggled, "Mighty observative of you. What'ya drop there?" she asked leaning left, her right foot elevated slightly off the ground to keep balance, attempting to get a better view of the folded parchment lying on the ground and keep the wine glass from spilling all at the same time.

Theo looked down at the paper she'd just dropped then back up to the friendly, fetching (if not generic) face looking back down at her, mostly credit to the heels Leslie wore.

'How long has it been? 1155? 65? God I can't remember'

"Hello. Earth to Theo..."

'She sounds different... I mean we all do, but hearing her speaking in anything other than Hebrew...'

"Ay, dude. Right here."

'How the hell did she manage to last this long? Surely pitchforks and flames would've have singled her out with her lack of aging.'

"I swear to... Okay I just swear I'll pour this alcohol all over you if you don't stop staring at me like I just grew a second head."

'Regardless, she could have gone back anytime. What on Earth could she have possibly stayed for?'

Two loud clicking of fingers directly in front of her forehead kicked Theo out of her reverie to notice a slightly irritated Leslie. For a moment she was baffled as to why. "Oh, this is just... It's nothing," she lied as she hastily crouched down to pick it up. "Just a birthday note. By myself, for myself apparently." That last part was more to herself than anyone but it was heard nonetheless. She folded the paper and looked back up composed.

Okay. So maybe not all of them had fake smiles on.

"We quoting Abe now? Really?"

"Who's Abe?" Theo asked.

"Oh no one important. Just some fella who led the civil war, abolished slavery, made some of the most ingenious quotes ever said, plus had a sick top hat to boot." Leslie took quite the unladylike gulp from her glass and took an additional moment to savour it before continuing. "You so need to get your hands on an encyclopaedia pronto."

'The hell is an encyclopaedia?'

Theo opened her mouth to ask but closed it just as quickly as more important questions swamped her head. Was this really her? Like was it really, really her? Because last time she checked, there were no such things as immortals, regardless of whatever potions and incantations you used. So what on earth was she doing still alive? Or... was she?

"Are you real?" She didn't mean to blurt it out. It really just slipped but now that it was voiced, she still expected her answer.

Leslie gave her that signature smile. Over the centuries, that attribute still stood intact, the exact same way she left it. "Do bears shit in the woods?" she replied handing her her own glass full of the beverage.

She then spun on her heel, her loose denim skirt fanning around in the process, stopping facing the pool exit across the room. "Walk with me," she said not really waiting for her to follow.

After a delay, Theo did so cautiously, distrust ringing with every footstep. It wasn't simply the perception that the blonde was alive that troubled her. The way she effortlessly acknowledged the other guests before brushing them off, the light hearted smiles she gave them as she walked past; it was just far too friendly.

It gave off the impression that this was not her first time meeting them. Hell it couldn't have been their second or third for that matter. No, she definitely knew these people all too well. And if that was the case, did it go to say Leslie hung around the original Theo long before she came to take her place too? Did she facilitate her summoning on this side of limbo?

Weaving through the crowd and around furniture, the demon kept a vigil eye on Leslie from a couple of steps behind her. A part of her vaguely registered that there were other people actively trying to grab her attention. She should have reacted somehow no doubt. Perhaps be insulted by the cat calls, more so by the one that tapped her on the ass. Maybe return the greeting to the more civil ones that actually bothered with a decent hello. She couldn't bring herself to care enough though.

There was something else nagging at her apart from the people. Nothing tangible. More of a... feeling, an external one, also contending for her awareness. The fact that it was so cunning, worming its way into her consciousness made it no less annoying than the boys and girls around her. All she wanted to do was focus on the girl that sauntered ahead more than anything else.

She had to make mental effort to forcefully push whatever it was aside just to centre her attention on Leslie. But the harder she shoved, the louder it pulsed, practically challenging her. What was worse was that it had an effect on her. She felt herself shiver with goosebumps protruding from her skin and hairs at the back of her neck standing on end. A light buzz came over her and she couldn't help but question if it was something provoked.

'A drug maybe?'

She lifted the wine glass and observed it sceptically.

'What the devil is in you?'

Leslie was waiting for her by the all glass french door leading out to the swimming pool with arms crossed. She waited for Theo to get closer first before speaking to her in in a hushed but serious tone. "Consider turning it down a bit."

The succubus furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What?"

"Your pheromone," came the response. "You've already sent three people to go wack off in the short space time you were in that room. Turn it down. Now." She nodded her head subtly in the general direction from which she'd just come from.

Theo's eyes widened in realisation just as it hit her with the loudest pulse yet. And it felt good. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took a deep whiff of the atmosphere and an intoxicating feeling almost consumed her whole. It knocked her right off her balance as the frequency increased and as a result, she stumbled briefly and used the door frame to stabilise herself.

'I'm doing this aren't I?'

Her eyes slowly trekked upwards, catching a glimpse of what was written in so many of their eyes before they instinctively looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. She could see them trying to regain the small remnants control they had over themselves. Too little too late though. The desire was already deep rooted and set into motion, its effects hanging heavily, fresh in the air. Theo panicked, she could already feel herself getting carried away by the arousal, ever more tempting by the second.

She watched as guys tried to hide their erections from view and adjust them through their pockets. A very difficult thing to do discreetly in a fully populated room. The girls themselves were subtly fidgeting in their seats, trying to get at that pesky itch that seemed to have materialised out of thin air. They were not oblivious to the other gender's predicament either. In fact it was more of an opportunity for relief for most and with so many options around...

But was it really her fault? It's not like she was invoking something that wasn't there already. She wasn't making any of them do anything they didn't want to do.

A twinge of an evil smile played along her lips.

'They were all thinking about it before I came along. Perverts. Every last one of them.'

She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as the mind numbing high took over.

The thing with lust is it's such a tricky emotion to toy with in the sense that it gets out of hand with such reckless ease. See if one person feels it, and it's not reciprocated, it remains stagnant. It's his or her burden to bear alone. Have two or more people feel it though, so long as they have a mutual focus (each other or someone else), it will rebound. It gains motion, size and needs somewhere to go. Just like fire, given the right conditions, it will settle on anything susceptible to burn.

Theo slowly opened her eyes, her pupils taken on a darker shade of red and she licked her lips in anxious temptation, seeing nothing but firewood before her. It amused her. How they seemed so confused with themselves at first, before their behavioural patterns took on a more primal direction as the pressure built. Humans weren't any more different back then than they were now.

Place even the most respectable or timid of men in an environment of extreme sexual tension, whether it be a harem or an orgy, and even they are highly likely to lay down with complete strangers. Strangers themselves who would normally require a date or two, maybe even marriage, will put up in seconds without asking for names.

Now throw a master of the incarnate sexual arts into the picture with healthy hormone charged adolescents all around and what do you get?

'A clusterfuck.' she thought gobbling down the last bit of wine before dropping the glass and wiping her mouth with her forearm.

Theo was giddy, overtaken with excitement, watching desperate guys drag very willing girls to corners, sofas, counters, any viable furniture with no resistance whatsoever. Others didn't have the patience as they got creative on the carpet. Clothes started to litter whatever surface they fell on just as someone dimmed the lights. God it'd been far too effing long.

Her eyes narrowed viciously as she bit her lower lip harder this time, her fingers curling around the door frame.

'They like to party right...'

Not a single human being there was innocent. No not even the virgins. Their minds all engulfed in a deluge of dirty visions of what they needed to do to the one in front of them.

'They don't wanna hear about the repercussions...'

The frustration of not being able to get their belt buckles off fast enough; the collective unbearable urge to be engulfed in a tight, warm orifice; the temptation to simply rip the cursed bra from hell off or the craving to be stuffed by something, absolutely anything at all thick enough. All but animalistic compulsions were left at their mental disposal to reason with.

'Who the fuck wants to know about the baby afterwards anyways? The regrets they'd carry, lies they'd tell? Would it change a thing?'

The sounds of clothes ripping, buttons flying about and important furniture getting knocked over were heard. Theo flashed a clean set of white teeth as she felt the rush completely sweep her away.

'I'll give them a party, I'll give them a fuckin' par-!'

It came without warning. The hand tightly gripping her locks, the other closing around her waistline of her jeans. Theo saw the night sky, lit up with beautiful stars. Then for the second time that night, Theo hit water.

-------

The memory of submerging beneath cold liquid immediately jerked her back to reality with a start. The hallways were filling up with students from their different lecture rooms, all of which were carrying satchels or books, or dragging their bags on wheels behind them. It was noisy to say the least whereas a few minutes ago it had been deathly silent.

Everyone seemed to be going about their usual life. She heard the couple behind her debate on what to get for lunch while another argued about what movie to see. Her senses weren't oblivious to the many eyes her undressing her either.

'Again with the cellphone's...'

She found herself hiding a smile at the simplicity of it all. These were the things they worried about. The average student's biggest worries revolved around what to do after class.

'First world problems.'

Her own stomach grumbled just as she approached the exit and she swore. She'd skipped breakfast again, not necessarily out of negligence but more of simple failure to adjust. Concepts such as food, water, sleep, defecation didn't exist back in the cells, and she was still to make sense of the warning signals. Why were mortal bodies so demanding if they're just going to die on you anyways?

The succubus got swallowed up by the crowd, all heading out the exit into the bright afternoon sun. A pleasant kind warmth she'd forgotten with time. What little it took to impress her these days. Such as the mere colour blue or green. Never mind the actual sky occupied by clouds or the grass and the leaves decorating the courtyard, just the colour in itself was a blessing.

The masses dispersed in their small groups clearing out the way ahead. Some settled with their lunch on the lawn, others on benches and others headed for the car park on the far end. It all contributed to the laid back atmosphere of the place, another thing they all took for granted. Not that she could blame them. It's all they knew, but oh how they'd miss it.

'Now then. Where exactly are you?'

Her left hand pulled the feather out of her pocket and loosely held it in her palm. It was by no means soft as most feathers its size. It even had a notable weight to it and every string of hair stood straight and solid, right through to the edge, stubborn to change.

Holding it up in the air above her head, she let the afternoon wind take it on a ride, and she took off after it. She made haste down the wide stairs making sure not to jump a step, the wind rustling her already untidy hair as the plume made its way ahead of her, miraculously rising higher, even with how hefty it felt.

She felt like an idiot, running the way she did past everyone else while they leisurely strolled away. Yet she found herself internally laughing at the little game she'd made for herself, feeling the excitement at hearing her own heartbeat in her chest, the cool air rushing in and out of her lungs, how each step in her trainers felt against the vegetation below her. It was fun. No doubt nothing like the run you'd get at the end of a romance movie, where the protagonist gracefully bolts after their love interest last minute before time ran out. Quite the opposite actually.

She was clumsy in the way she often bumped into people when weaving in and out of them. Or how she left dust on those she hurtled over and just had to yell an apology behind her, after a complainant or two voiced what they thought of her. Foul language really was the word of the day this century. She even tumbled over a couple of times, thankfully onto soft lawn, without any provocation from any obstacle whatsoever.

It's for reasons like this that most demons had compulsory trial runs in the actual body they were to control before the actual soul change over. Motor skills needed to be learnt all over again and calibrated to suit them individually.

Then again this was a special case.

'Succubus's aren't supposed to be capable of body swaps with actual human beings in the first place.'

She broke into a solid sprint the moment the path ahead was cleared of people, curious as to what the limits of what her new form was capable of. It shocked her how her long legs felt so exceedingly light, how they felt like they could take off ahead of her on their own.

Everything outside her focus was a mere a blur as the adrenalin kicked in, surging through her bloodstream, pushing her faster than any set of previous legs had ever been able to carry her.

The wind muffled all but the sound of her own swift footsteps, flinging bits of earth behind her.

The feeling was what could only be described as electric. So much so, she'd almost forgotten what she was chasing in the first place. The feather threaded through the air ahead, leading her to the next building block. She easily caught up with it just as her feet hit concrete slabs leading up to the stairway.

Students were filing out from here too she noticed with a quick glance around, forcing her to slow her pace to a trot, by some miracle managing to keep her balance. Walking to the stair railing she took stock of herself. There was barely any fatigue and only a light sheen of sweat making its way to the surface. Besides that, Theo just felt fired up.

Taking that as a green light, she jogged up the concrete stairs, not even bothering to stop on the landings, pursuing her new toy that was now descending slowly just above the last flight. Unfortunately the view was blocked by the people coming out. She made a rush against traffic to get to the top where it should have come down.

She couldn't lose it was all she was thinking as she bounded up the steps, colliding with people but offering little in the way of apology this time. She just needed to get up there and these humans were not helping that cause. Just when she thought she was around one, another popped up in her way.

She started to feel a slight burn in her thighs at the last stretch but insisted they keep it together. Her view spanned from left to right, scanning for it while trying to avoid those in front of her, growing more and more annoyed by those blocking her view. She even did a full 360 whilst springing up the last few obstacles, just in case it got swept away with someone's feet. Still she never saw it.

Once at the top, her feet took her on one last rotation as her eyes surveyed her surroundings.

'Come on Sabrael. Don't toy with me, I know you're here.'

They scoured across the worn white steps, past the right wing of the corridors adjacent to them, along the faculty doors, on to the left wing's veranda and stopped when she saw it.

She let out a sigh of relief. And gave her legs instruction to tread forward. They obeyed as she was leisurely carried her over to the railing overlooking the courtyard. She easily leaned her elbows on it and took in the view of scholars going about their afternoon routines.

"Fuck you."

"That's one way to start a conversation."

"You made me run."

"You looked like you enjoyed it."

"I did. That's not the point." Her mellow tone and static forward gaze into space removed any intended sting out of her words. It was kind of funny. She'd recited this reunion at least fifteen times in her head. In all instances, it centered around her giving the angel a thorough, slightly ill-mannered piece of her mind.

Instead what was happening now could be amounted to a comfortable silence as they both stared out ahead of them. She couldn't help but get the feeling she'd gone soft.

In her peripheral vision, she absentmindedly noted the feather rested between its owner's right hand's forefinger and thumb, spun around back and forth from its root, just like what she did earlier.




Of Demons And Men Ch. 02-03



His Obsidian armour was gone, replaced by a formal black suit, white shirt and simple red tie. A couple of feet were knocked off his height too and his skin tone was a darker shade of chocolate than she remembered. He was completely bald too, an attribute that was hidden by his helmet last time they met. Apart from the dull glow from his blue eyes that did little to match his ethnicity, you'd be hard pressed to call him anything but human.

He broke the silence first. "I'm certain by now you have enough of a grasp to form an opinion. How are you finding it?"

"A little on the sunny side. Birds are singing, economy's sinking, what can I say?" she said wryly.

"I see their derision is not lost on you," he countered in a similar tone. "I'll clarify anyway. How are you adjusting to this body?"

She faced her left hand's palm upwards and flexed it. "It's... very responsive, ridiculously fit too." She took the silence he gave her afterwards as an indication that he expected more in the way of reply. "Not to mention disobedient." She added, though if the suppressed smile playing on her lips was anything to go by, then that wasn't a complaint.

Sabrael regarded her with an amused smile of his own. "944... Theo," he corrected himself, "You are aware that you're in charge there are you not? It's not as if it's a separate entity, rather it's more of an extension than anything else."

She sighed at her inability to voice her thoughts properly. Couldn't he just read her mind as he had already done last time? Then again in light of the little that had recently happened, she preferred to retain her privacy.

"I get that, really. It's just... Sometimes it doesn't feel that way. It does things at its own discretion, without any warning of any kind."

"Elaborate." It came out as more of an order than a request.

Theo stalled, suddenly conscious of all the possible ways she could embarrass herself in her next sentence. "Well... There were two occasions prior to today where it acted on its own accord." she started. "It invoked my abilities without my knowledge, one time nearly starting a group intercourse session at a public setting.

"And another time, it gave an elderly man, probably early seventies, a heart attack. He's not even supposed to be able to... It's meant to be out of commission at his age you know? As it stands I'm still not sure of his condition exactly but he's still hospitalised." she grimaced at the memory before looking up at him, interested in knowing his reaction. Had she done so sooner she may have noted a trace of humour. All she saw though, was the same stock expression he wore when they started this conversation.

"I don't think your body's the issue here." he said stepping away from the railing and walking past behind her towards the steps. She followed suit. "You mean to tell me you never had this problem before? How did your last bodies fare in comparison?"

She minded where she placed her feet as they made their descent, quickly moving but never missing a step. There were bumps in her words for every one she took. "That would be an invalid comparison. The bodies you speak of could be amounted to no more than cheap hollow shells. Forgers didn't make them to last." she finished with an edge of disgust.

That seemed to pique his interest as he looked back with the corner of his eye. "They had forgers, even back then?"

"Try not to think much of them. They were never artists."

They really weren't. Replicating a demon's looks half as accurately was nothing short of a miracle. Blame could partially be given to the principle of functionality over presentation. The only saving grace in her case was what could be considered an ugly, even hideous succubus by the benchmark, was still appealing to human eyes.

"You never thought to bring over your actual body and wrap it in an illusion?"

"Summonings were too expensive. Do you know the amount of blood necessary for that?" She grabbed onto the railing to slow her descent as gravity started to take over. "Besides, no one in their right mind was stupid enough to dabble in our kind of black arts in the dark ages. The church made sure of that."

"You mean with the massacres?"

"Among other things..."

Sabrael seemed to have much more control over himself as he reached the bottom, but she hit the ground running and overshot past the pavement, onto the lawn, tripping herself into a tumbling mess. A silent groan escaped her as she spun to a stop.

'Well that was embarrassing.'

She rolled herself over onto her back, facing the sky and never bothered getting up. The demon simply lay there taking in the sounds of leaves gently rustling in the wind with birds chirping among them. The distant chatter by people, and even further away, the sound of cars passing by all worked cooperatively to make a soothing melody.

'Anything but flames right?'

Sabrael's overshadowing figure came to tower above her with hands in pockets; a dark silhouette covering the sun. There was a sparkle shimmering off of the edge of his hairless head and she absentmindedly contemplated the chances of seeing her reflection there...

"You alright?" he asked in his low husky baritone, actual concern absent from his words.

"Yeah. This is nothing new I assure you," she managed watching a cloud pass overhead, blotting out the light and making his face more visible. "Sabrael. This isn't an avatar."

There was a delay before he responded, "No, it's not. Does that bother you?"

"Normally I wouldn't care but you neglected detach my emotions like you should have. Now it would appear I've grown a conscience and it's latched itself onto my shoulder."

"I felt you wouldn't fit in well without them," He looked up and around, yet paying attention to nothing in particular. Her gaze was still fixed firmly on him. "I'd have to implore you not to dwell too much on who she was or what circumstances brought her to this. Just know she was willing."

Surprised, she sat up and supported herself by wrapping her arms around her knees. "You made a contract with her? Why?" She asked almost accusingly.

"There are more important things than one's life. What those things are may vary from one individual to another but they exist. Theopatra knew what hers was and made the trade. Let's just leave it at that."

Theo frowned dissatisfied with the answer. There were just too many holes as it was. If he was capable of reading her in that moment, he must have been aware that she wasn't simply about to drop it.

Then again he probably expected her not to actually. Be that the case, he'd most likely already taken the effort to burn any loose ends. Except...

The backpack was swung over onto her lap, opened and foraged. A piece of folded paper was pulled out which she handed to him. "Think you can make any sense of this then? I found it in my hand the night of the change over."

He unfolded it without delay. It read, 'Unlock => Notes => Read Me.'

Her contractor's eyes narrowed, spending more time reading it than he should have.

"Theo, be so kind and let me have a look at your phone." No mistake about it. That was a demand. One she saw no reason to deny him. She was hesitant nonetheless but he showed patience, waiting for her to let go before bringing it up. Just by observation, she could tell he operated it with familiarity and knew just what he was hunting for. His thumb then stopped moving and his eyes tracked back and forth across the screen.

"Clever girl," he mumbled to himself.

After a few more taps he handed the device back to her but kept the note. The screen was white with the words 'No notes' written under a grey box.

"Well?" she inquired.

"Nothing of importance." He replied with finality. Sabrael held out a helping hand.

She looked at him suspiciously, "You're withholding something."

"I'm withholding a lot of things." His face remained unchanged with his hand still extended. Her pride chose to decline it and she got up on her own, slinging a strap around her shoulder and started dusting herself off. With hands behind his back, he waited, simply observing her with cold blue eyes.

"Sabrael," She started, finally turning to face him, "mind clarifying one thing for me?"

A slight nod was the only indication to continue that he gave her.

"How the hell do you expect me to adjust, let alone carry out a job, if you refuse to give me clear answers and withhold me from finding them myself?" She asked in a worn out tone. She really didn't get this guy. First he mutilates her body, then throws her to the wolves in another world for two whole weeks. And when he does finally pop up from whatever rock he was under, he's as cryptic as shit.

He gestured with his left hand towards the general direction of the outdoor tables in the distance, just past a few rows of sparsely scattered trees and they started to make their way there. "You'll find I'm not the easiest person to work with generally," he confirmed.

'Yeah no shit.'

"To simplify things, I have just three simple rules I work with predominantly. Whether it be with demons or fellow angels alike, they don't change," he continued. He looked at his watch and then up and around, clearly seeking someone out. A lime frisbey flew by ahead by the edge of the trees with a dog hot on its tail.

"Firstly. Information is released on a need to know basis. That means to say you'll only be told the details you actually need to know, at the time you need to know them. Nothing more, not a moment sooner."

Theo nodded her head, not necessarily approving but acknowledging her understanding. Many a time when she was still on the field, things worked in a similar fashion.

"Two. We're not friends. We never will be. For the duration of your work here, or until your breach accord, I own you. No less than your previous overlord did. You will jump at every command, no matter how degrading or humiliating, and you'll do so with no hesitation or question.

Theo's eyes narrowed but she said nothing.

"And Finally, It is imperative you to heed this most of all; don't lie to me." He looked at her sternly as he said this. "I don't have the time nor the patience to be constantly scanning your mind for the truth. Quite frankly if I'm reduced to having to do so, I'll take it as an insult to my intelligence."

His tone gave away nothing. He was dead serious. She could also tell immediately afterwards, she'd have a problem with all three points but made no mention of it. She pushed a low hanging branch out of her way. "Duly noted. That said, what is it I do need to know?"

He looked from his left to right, contemplating how to put this next part. For the first time, Sabrael seemed conflicted.

"Sabrael?"

"How much do you know about Limbo?" he asked.

She took a moment to think about it. "Not much. I've only been there three times ever. Quite frankly it irked the shit out of me. It's where we were taken to when the need arose to puppeteer an avatar."

She remembered the grey ambience, a strong sensation like being underwater, the sun dimly shining through with all those billions of souls, spread out and floating completely still almost as if they were dead.

'This is where they come to dream,' she was told. Every sleeping soul ends up here once they entered REM sleep and if you were to establish a connection with any one of them, you could see not only what they dreamed of but also their memories, their aspirations and their fears. And so long as they themselves had a live avatar on earth, then even demons could harness limbo in the same way people do to wake up to that counterfeit body.

"But do you know what it is? Or rather why it exists?"

"Wouldn't that be basic knowledge?" she replied stepping over an oversized root, "The way I understand it; Limbo is the compromise between earth and hell. A not so fine line that segregates the two. I've watched so many people... just falling through there by the thousands, screaming on their way to the first circle."

He simply nodded at that. "Well what if I told you someone found an exploit, that passage through Limbo now worked both ways?"

"I'd tell you; you were lying." She responded immediately without doubt.

The same dog from before sprinted past just behind them in the opposite direction, this time with the frisbey locked in its jaws. Theo spun around and backpedalled watching it run off to its owner.

Sabrael placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed, turning her around in time for her to notice a populated stone bench right in front of her. She silently apologised to its inhabitants as she made her way around them. "That's what I thought," he said, his eyes fixed ahead to the bar past the main road. "I left it for too late and by the time I finally decided to follow it up twenty-one years ago, there's nothing but ashes left."

There was a touch of self-loathing there, like he blamed himself for the whole ordeal or at the very least, for not preventing it. Maybe he should have but all things considered, she couldn't complain.

However there was something that did concern her regarding what ever his plans were. "So by and large, you're asking me to help you put back my kind in the hole they came from?"

"I'm not really asking."

"So you've made that transparently clear..." she said under her breath, moving to avoid another umbrella covered table, "but, do you know what it's like living down there? Ever paid Hell a visit on a good day and actually watched what really transpires? I swear regardless of what grudges you hold, it's nothing you'd wish on your worst enemy."

He stopped walking and focused on her a pace or two ahead. "Tell me something Theo. What value is a city without any people? Does the sky still exist without the sun or stars to shine over it? Do hundreds of pages hold meaning if not one contains a word?"

"I'm not very good with riddles I'm afraid."

"That's because you're too lazy to think. It's not the fire that make hell what it is, nor is it the chains or its vast arsenal for torture. It's the demons. And wherever they are, a new Hell will spawn, no better than the last."

'Someone should quote him on that.'

He stepped past her and she followed him onto the sidewalk where he stopped, hands clasped behind his back.

'All he needs now are a pair of black shades and homeland security would hire him on a looks basis alone.'

His stare was affixed on the bar across the street. "Convenient place to put a bar and a zebra crossing for that matter. I believe you go there now and again?"

She cast him a half surprised, half suspicious look. "You actually bothered to check up on me?"

"More often than you'd like to think." came an emotionless reply.

Theo stared back ahead at the miniature building, the walls lined with reflective tinted glass. There were only two cars parked outside, one of which was decorated with pictures and logos, possibly in attempt to advertise.

She smiled to herself, "Then you'd know I don't normally go there alone. And when I do it's really for a fun game I got hooked on rather than the beer. Your standards have dropped in that regard by the way."

"I wouldn't know. Angels don't touch alcohol."

"Neither did Theo apparently," she said looking back up to him. "Apparently you never let her."

"I never let her do anything that put her health in jeopardy." Sabrael nudged his head towards the bar for her to look, "There he is."

She obeyed but saw nothing but the sun light reflecting back her way. The pavement there was deserted too. Her eyes trailed up and down the street thinking that perhaps he was referring to a car that passed but the only ones she saw were parked on the side of the street. "There who is?"

"The reason I brought you here to Earth. It's inside the bar."

She followed his line of sight to see a very faded shadow, leaning on one of the wall sized windows. It didn't move. It was just standing there. She looked away, finally submitting to the blinding light.

"Can't see much but I'm not feeling any unusual vibe. He's just another human Sabrael." she commented.

"Disappointed?"

"To a degree," she treaded sideways a bit, trying to get a less obstructed view of him from another angle, "I was just expecting something that stood out a little more if it warranted you coming all the way to the underworld to break me out."

Sabrael reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a card. "A means to contact me," he clarified.

She took it and flipped it over in inspection. "I thought that's what these were for," she said raising her phone while still looking at the card.

He simply smiled, "You'll figure it out."

She flipped it over again. "Josen W. Barnes..." she read before looking up. "That's you?"

"It's a lot more expedient to go by."

"Buh I like your name!" she teased in a baby voice.

Sabrael only looked at her with a face that bore a flat affect.

"Okay, sorry. Sorry," she apologised with hands up, the smile betraying any remorse in her words. Her eyes ventured back to her soon to be victim. "Seriously though, what's so special about this one that requires my attention specifically?"

"That, you don't need to know."

Theo's lips pursed in annoyance. "So to hell with the details. You just want me to screw him. That's the objective? Gosh you sure know how to make a girl feel cheap."

A light chuckle resounded from him. "You always so brazen about what's expected of you?"

"Comes with the occupation. Am I ever needed for anything else?"

"It would be a bonus on his end if you did I'm sure but you've overshot my expectations a bit. What I need of you is to simply earn his trust. Whatever means you choose to accomplish this is entirely at your discretion."

She looked up, failing to conceal her surprise. "What's the catch?"

"For now, none."

"Just earn his trust?"

"That's what I said."

Her surprise morphed into temporary confusion, then into acceptance. "Wow... Okay, your rules big guy," she gave in shaking her head and started getting back to her feet. She tossed the new braid over her shoulder. "So do I know him?"

"You used to, many years ago but even then it was in passing."

That was curious. This was university and she was in second year. Did that go to say they tracked back from the same home town?

"Any no go areas?" was her next question.

"Ensure he never finds out what you are, and as far as you two are concerned, I don't exist."

"And what are the contingencies if it comes to that?" she asked further.

"Memory wipe. I'll perform that myself but all the better if it never comes to that." there was a slight tint of warning in his tone.

"Lastly what do I do once I have his trust?"

"Keep it."

A dirty smile formed on her lips. "Can I get carried away? Maybe be a bit mean first? I'm dying to get a grip on my abilities but the way they're anchored to this body is all wrong."

"That's your prerogative Theo," he replied her without batting an eyelash, "I don't care what you do so long as the job's done in the end. You have seven days."

Theo nodded her head with glee. Plenty of time for damage. Without bothering with goodbyes, she stood up started making her way across the pedestrian crossing. That was all the information she'd need for now and he wouldn't let her get creative with questions.

She was feeling rather eager to meet this boy to the point where she was almost skipping along the open road. Sabrael had mentioned when she first met him, that he was in hell on someone else's behalf. Who that someone was had been eating away at her from the back of her mind and now he was just a couple of steps away.

She couldn't help but notice how this whole setup was new. Not just the request that was significantly varied from the 'go there, fuck who' instruction set but she was given leeway to carry out a mission on her own terms. She never ever got that freedom. Should she have been rebellious before then it was just a matter of unplugging her and she'd simply wake back up in her demon body pending discipline.




Of Demons And Men Ch. 02-03



'But this... This was different...'



-------------------------------------

Theo stood shivering by the window of her room, looking out. The light was off in attempt to avoid outside attention. Her arms were wrapped around her torso for added warmth. Another set of hands ran a towel through her hair, digging down to her sculp. She felt like crap at the moment and really just wanted to remember what a set of clean sheets felt like. Maybe that would help her forget this debacle she'd been the cause of.

The red and blue lights had been flashing for a while now but there was no siren to accompany it. Only men in navy blue uniform trampling all over their front lawn that no-one besides the elderly seemed to tolerate with pleasantry.

The party goers were also crowding their front yard. Some in bathing suits covered in towels, others in regular clothing whereas at least half of them had something amiss with their attire. She even noted a few parents, about two or three, had to forcibly hold their tops together and where in a generally dishevelled condition.

"Who are they?" she asked.

Leslie looked over her shoulder to see who she was referring to before resuming the act of drying her friend's hair. "Police. They're the law here in the same sense beadles and watchmen were back in the day, although they do things a lot differently."

"Okay but-..." she was interrupted by her own sneeze. "But why are they here?"

Leslie walked over to the switch by the door and turned on the aircon. "The little stunt you pulled earlier could be translated into a lot of things." She replied, as she made her way over to her closet.

Theo picked up the mug on the vanity and took a sip of its contents. "Don't people just sum it up to witchcraft anymore?" A black haired boy talking to an officer looked up to her room's window and pointed. The man looked up in her general direction and she took a step further behind the curtain. Could they still see them even with the lights off?

"It's the last... thing to be considered these... days and even then, five-O don't take it seriously. Whew." She sounded like she was having difficulty pulling something out in there. "Nah they're probably thinking narcotics such as ecstasy or maybe even coke. Weed best case scenario," she finished exiting the closet carrying a heap of folded clothes, kicking the door shut behind her.

Theo regarded her with a confused expression and Leslie giggled. "Sorry, I might as well be speaking Japanese at this point. Just know they mess up your sense of perception and redefine what logic is to you."

"Like alcohol?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "Something like that. Put these on." She handed her a set of underwear first, which she took.

She took one final look out the window and froze. "Did you see that?"

"See what? Leslie returned moving around her to see what she was referring to.

It had gone by way too fast. Or had it even been there to begin with? "I'm not sure..." Her eyes narrowed, searching the grounds in attempt to validate her sanity, "Something big just rushed across our front lawn. Like a shadow of some sort. But it was huge."

"Honey it's night time. Everything's a shadow."

'But it was there... Wasn't it?' She thought moving to a more private place to change.

"It's really all my fault," Leslie began, not giving her any time to ponder over it.

Theo was pulling off her robe at this point, something that caught Leslie's attention through her reflection in the glass.

"I don't exactly have a crystal ball over here..."

"I mean your outbreak. I didn't think it would turn out this badly fucked over." Leslie clarified. "Granted I kinda figured it'd be taking it a little too far but this was..."

Theo looked up halfway done with pulling on her panties, "Leslie, what did you do?"

Leslie hesitated, then stepped back from the window and picked up the discarded robe along with the wet towel. "Theo - not you, the last one - she'd never touched alcohol before because she wasn't allowed to defile herself like that." She turned around and walked to the washing basket beside her bed, and tossed in the used items. Theo's eyes never left her the whole time. "It was a new experience entirely and it was going to affect you right down to your abilities. However I'd expected you to actually get drunk first before you lost control to them like that." Leslie looked at her with what looked like a pitying expression. "You're stronger than I remembered."

"You did this to me?" She half whispered, half shouted, "Do you know how fucked up I feel right now? Shit's hazy, I feel like I'm always about to bump into something, I wanna throw up- It's... It's just not a nice feeling Leslie."

She shouldn't have been surprised. She always had been Leslie's Joke whenever they were around each other. It pissed her off on so many levels and she'd communicated it but this girl never changed.

"Just give it a bit. It'll be out of your system when you finish that cu-"

"You don't get it!" she shook her head left and right, "It's not... It's not just that. Damnit!" She exclaimed. Theo made her way over to the bed and sat down, head in hands. "Every time a succubus uses her powers, she leave a print. The more she exerts them, the bigger the print so right now this premises probably looks like a giant bullseye from a supernatural point of view."

Leslie hesitantly came to sit down next to her and put a hand on her back. "I'm sorry."

'Like hell you are.'

The hand started to rub and Theo heard her sigh. "I didn't know," she continued, "I guess I never was good at telling when I pushed your buttons too hard. It's just, when you've got a wall full of tally marks, counting the minutes to seeing someone again, you tend to lose your senses along the way. I was far too ecstatic when you came along to even be capable of processing any consequences.

"It's not that I don't understand how complicated I made shit n' all. It's just... Theo... I didn't think it'd get this..."

She paused as she heard footsteps outside, increasing in volume and stopping on the other side of the bedroom door. Three bold and authoritative thumps followed, making her jump. "Mrs Summers?" a man's voice called out, "we'd like to ask you a few questions if that's alright."

Her heart rate suddenly shot up and she looked at Leslie for verification who also looked just as unsure. If this was about the incident earlier, they weren't caught doing anything. It's why they got skipped over when the authorities were called in. She first grabbed for the t-shirt she'd brought with her to the bed and hurriedly pulled it on.

"Mrs Summers?" The knock was louder this time.

"She's just getting changed!" Leslie shouted back, bouncing up to her feet and facing the troubled girl kicking off her sandals. "Okay, do what they tell you, don't look guilty," she was told. Leslie spun her around pulling down the hem of her top. "If they wanna test you, you're clean, so don't hesitate. Say nothing of your real identity, they'll think you're nuts all over again. Put those on too." she said referring to the footwear she just took off her own feet. "If they say they've got evid..."

Leslie's words faded to a blur as memories flooded Theo's head, drowning them out completely. She recalled seeing torches in the distance coming through the woods accompanied by the sound of steel armour clanking loudly against itself, the sound of hooves beating against the ground, getting louder by the second and behind them the chanting of the mob, all vying for her blood.

"This isn't you again is it Leslie?"

Leslie stopped what she was doing and violently spun the demon around again to face her, "What?"

The look in Theo's red eyes stunned her. She saw hurt. Not anger, hurt, the watery kind that tends to spill over on your cheeks and she knew she'd already reached a conclusion with what was about to happen.

"It's just funny, you know" Theo began, forcing a smile onto unwilling lips. "That's uh... That's some similar advice to what you gave me a thousand years ago," she shrugged her shoulders in absent minded emphasis.

Her distrust couldn't be faulted and Theo knew that Leslie knew it too. A look of shame rested on Leslie's features as she refused to meet her gaze.

The demon felt her friend's hands clutching her shoulders even tighter. She looked back up again, into her eyes as she answered. "I don't have time to explain, and I'm sorry you have to find out what's been going on from someone else but just do everything I told you and you'll be fine. I promise."

Outside the door, someone clearing their voice could be heard. She took one last look at the brunette and stepped out of her embrace before making her way to the door and pulling it open temporarily lighting up the room before throwing it into darkness again.

The passageway light stung her eyes in a way she wasn't prepared for. She found herself temporarily blinded feeling for the wall but touching uniform instead.

"This way," she heard him say as he gripped her by the upper arm and directed her to walk. "Search the room," he called out behind them. In the distant background an exchange caught her attention between Leslie and one of men regarding what right they had to do so. She never did get along too well with authority... Or so she had thought.

"What's this about?" she enquired whilst rounding the corner leading to the front stairs. She couldn't help but feel like a lamb getting let to its own slaughter.

He let go of her arm after seeing her vision was back to normal. "You know what this is about Theo. Quite frankly I'm starting to run out of ways to cover for your ass when freakishly weird shit like this keeps happening."

Her eyes shot open. "What?"

The manner he addressed her implied that they knew each other well enough for informal talk. If he was an officer of the law, wouldn't that suggest she'd been involved in illegal activities of sorts to warrant their involvement in her life?

"Oh so now you wanna play dumb," he replied. "Fine by me really. Probably what you should've done when these fiascos started up right from the start."

Things started to fall into place. The looks she was getting from everybody, why this particular body was chosen, why she may not have a handle of her abilities... Something may have been amiss from before she even arrived.

"Can I ask? What was the last anomaly I was implicated in?" she questioned.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is that a serious question?"

"Yes. It is." she stated adamantly.

A thoughtful look briefly covered his face. "You forgetting the deck of cards that went up in flames during the Christmas holidays? Everyone at that sleepover could attest all you were doing was shuffling them."

That's what they hated her for? "A parlour trick any magician could have pulled off without a hitch no doubt," she said with disappointment sprinkled with a touch of disgust. She'd expected, even hoped for an act with more sustenance. Not that she was actually hoping someone would have gotten maimed or something of great importance lost. It was more in hope that people were capable of disliking someone else with justifiable, valid reason rather than something as small as losing a deck of cards.

"Maybe," he replied, "but I'm positive even a magician's flame can be taken care of with a single bucket of water. What you started burnt down half a homestead before the flames themselves instantaneously vanished on their own. Never mind the three fire trucks flooding it with sodium."

'Impossible... Hellfire isn't something that can just be simply summoned. You'd need to directly open a channel and-...'

"Look Theo, it's none of my business who your friends are, or who you like to hang around in your spare time," he continued, cutting through her chain of thoughts in the process, "but a word of advice; That friend you've got back there, she's as much a common denominator in these events as you are yet she manages to stay completely under the radar. Ask yourself why."

She had. More times than she cared to count. She'd been wary of her from the start and this new information just put things in a whole new context. Leslie owed her answers now more than ever and she cursed that she couldn't just turn around and ask her.

Then a bizarre thought crossed her mind. What about the last Theo? Was there a chance she knew exactly what she was doing when she set the house on fire? What if these previous incidents weren't a mistake but rather acts performed by a seasoned professional?

'It would only make sense,' an inner voice piped up. 'The similarities can't just be limited to our appearances but our abilities too. It had to work both ways.'

On the way down the stairs to the foyer area, pictures were hung up, decorating the wall; Family shots it seemed. She recognised herself as well as her new parents, but there was one more person in a particular one she hadn't seen in person yet. A boy, couldn't have been more than ten with hair such a light shade of blonde it may have appeared white to the inattentive eye.

He stood in front of her, arms straight against his side like a soldier in formal attire, also wearing a ghostly expression. He stared blankly ahead with lifeless eyes. A much younger version of herself had both her hands rested on his shoulders like a responsible older sister, but the way she did it was in a loving fashion. She was looking down at him rather than at the camera. She could tell there was a story that lay nested deep in that one picture.

Turning her head down to the floor below, she noticed many of the people, other parents she guessed, staring back up at her as she made her descent. Those were unwelcoming glares if she'd ever seen any. She searched the group for what she'd now come to know as her parents. They were spotted standing separately with one other woman by the wooden double doors leading to the dining room.

The officer led her through the crowd that by now had gone deathly quiet. Tension was thick in the air and it just needed a catalyst of any sort to turn it into full blown outrage. They were all looking for that trigger... Oh what she'd give to know what they were thinking. What she didn't need telepathy for though, was to know that they hated her in the most vindictive way. It's an emotion any demon was able to pick up instinctively. Most spent their entire lifetimes spreading it after all. But that of this particular group's was obsessive on a pathological level.

She wondered if her parents shared it too, if they had the same murderous intent for their own child. This would make it their first meeting and she had no idea how to act around them. What was their relationship like to begin with? How did they address each other? What was expected of her? What should she expect of them?

A partial answer came in the form of her mother bridging the gap between them and protectively pulling her closer, temporarily displacing her balance in the process. "Honey, Officer Morris just wants to ask you a few questions. Why don't you step into the dining room for a moment with him and Cathy over there." she said with an audible unsteadiness to her voice, observing the crowd diligently rather than looking at the person she addressed.

Theo nodded and was about to obey when someone interrupted loudly from behind. "Why? We're all right here, why doesn't the girl answer them now?"

She turned her head to observe a balding dark haired, slightly overweight man making his way to the front line. He'd clearly had his nose broken a few times and she couldn't tell if that scowl was a constant feature of his or if it was just a reflection of his current state. Either way it made her feel uncomfortable in a way only a few creatures could and without meaning to, she took a step back.

Her father coolly stepped in blocking his view of her, and thus, hers of him. "Marty, we've gone over this Already," He stated calmly, hands in pockets - An act that may have been received as disrespectful or even that of looking down at the other party. She however guessed that if that's how this 'Marty' saw it, it was irrelevant. The act was meant to appeal to the subconscious, clarifying her father's stance on violence. How could he expect to fight with hands in his pockets after all?

"Not good enough, John! I want her subjected to the same measures our children were. We all do." she saw a hand dart out, pointing just past her. "Test her. This is her party after all!"

"They're already searching her room and dogs are sniffing out the compound. She'll have her pat down too." She heard him respond.

"That's not a test!" the man exclaimed. "Stop covering for the spoilt kid and let her account for herself! She's twenty-one for chris' sakes!"

A hand on her back was forcibly guiding her to the doors as voices jumped a few decibels. It seemed everyone had their two cents to throw in and were just waiting to be heard. Theo cooperated with the directions, reluctantly looking back at the escalating scene then at her mom. "It's okay," she mouthed, not really doing much to reassure her seeing as she didn't believe her own words herself.

The officer, Morris, was holding the door open. He looked uneasy judging by his pose. For instance; the hand on the batton stick or the hand tightly wound around the door knob with eyes sharply trained on the people, as if expecting trouble to break out.

Another lady jumped into the argument. One she remembered getting a dirty look from earlier in the night, even as she politely shook hands with her in greeting. She never requested a name as she was clearly expected to already know her. "What good will a pat down on different clothes do anyways? I don't believe even she would be stupid enough to carry them with her. Whatever she had would have been long dissolved in that pool of yours John."

More and more started to vocalise their opinions and a portion of them were directing their frustrations directly at her rather than her parents. At that point it was just a mash of words coming in simultaneously and she was unable to discern one question or comment from the other.

In the end she thought it best to keep her silence. Facing forward and ignoring them. Something that didn't sit well with many.

Thanks to Leslie, she had a small understanding of what they were looking for. She just didn't believe it was meant to be this blown out of proportion. So what if some may have been caught with the drug. What good would it do to wish the same misfortune on someone else as well?

The doors were abruptly shut the moment she was through, muffling all sound coming from outside. The voices could still be heard but words could no longer be made out. Theo sighed looking up at the pattern covered ceiling through partially shut eyes, and strolled forward lazily forward.

"Take a seat please."

The words, clear as a whistle, startled her and she spun to where they came from. A woman, seemingly in her late fifties was seated in the first chair on the right side of the table. Cathy was it? She was the one she spotted beside her parents earlier. She looked over at Morris where he stood against the door with arms crossed. He alone made thirty three percent of the room's population.

"Shouldn't you be out there?" Theo asked him, worrying for her would be parents.

"They're adults," he simply said and he nudged his head over to the table where Cathy was flipping pages of a notepad over. His tone wasn't fooling her. His body language told her he was still agitated. Much of his attention was directed at the door and his hand was gripping his bicep tightly. Nah he didn't believe they were adults at all.

'You'd much rather prefer to be on the other side of the door wouldn't you...?'

She hesitantly walked over to the chair opposite the woman, pulled it out and plopped down on it. Her arms folded behind her head and she leaned it on them.




Of Demons And Men Ch. 02-03



She wasn't spoken to immediately, and an uncomfortable air creeped in slowly where she felt out of place. Everyone besides her seemed to know what both themselves and what she was doing here. No one was telling her anything though. No they ignored her actually. She contemplated the merits of asking for a moment but dropped the notion just as quickly. The last thing she wanted to seem like was a whiny little child with no understanding of the concept of patience. She opted to entertain herself with the sight of this room instead.

Few items populated it. Apart from the hard wood table and velvet cushioned chairs, there was a miniature table that lay host to a telephone by the far end of the room. The french doors there opened up to an outside garden populated by trimmed bushes and hedges but her view was limited. Curtains were in place on either side but were never closed, much like the rest of this house. What was the point of mounting them then?

She looked ahead and for the second time was taken aback by dark eyes staring back her way.

"That's weird," she admonished.

"What is it this time, Theopatra?" she was asked in a crisp tone, completely ignoring her comment. "What excuse have you got for me?"

"What?" She was genuinely confused already. Who was she? And could they start anywhere with more common ground?

Cathy took off her glasses and regarded her sternly. "I think we're above playing dumb at this point girl. No one would believe whatever report I'd write up at this point anyways so let's just be honest with each other."

'Just what the fuck had this lady been told?'

"Cathy, if this..."

"Mrs. Walters or just Walters," Cathy corrected, "quite frankly I have not the slightest clue what makes your mother think we're on a first name basis in the first place but I won't tolerate it from you too."

Theo nodded in understanding, doing her best to keep her sober face on. "Walters then. If this is about the ecstasy or any other narcotic for that matter, I had absolutely no involvement in..."

"No kidding you had nothing to do with the drugs." She just couldn't finish a sentence with this woman "How I'd jump for joy if you did though. At least for a change I'd walk out holding a notebook that didn't look like its contents plagiarized the latest occult article in a parapsychology magazine." She sat back in her chair and let out a rasp sigh of her own. "But that's not going to happen today is it?"

Theo sat stunned, wondering if any correct words existed that she could use at this point to appease this woman. "I... I'm sorry but just remind me; What's... What was the question again?"

Cathy leaned forward and reached for the water jug and a glass. "Police are going to chalk this up to adolescents arriving intoxicated at a party with pills to reload on later, and a group "lovemaking" session kicked off as a result." She tilted the jug over and filled the glass with its contents, "And true enough, a number of you were found with the narcotic but let's be honest, what person your age isn't without it at least once a month. There's even more reason to bring it along to a party actually. Who in their right mind finishes one sober in this day and age?"

"Sounds believable to me," Theo replied shrugging her shoulders. "From the looks of things, they could nerf it down to beer and it would still be just as believable," she finished. She was speaking from experience more than anything else. Everything looks sexier after knocking back a few.

"Exactly," Cathy agreed. "Yet you never seem to feel content to go with those excuses, even if it makes your life that - much - easier." she said tapping a nail on the surface for each last word. "But no. No, instead you insist that these..." she tore off the current page off of her note pad and slid it across the table, "... are recognised as your official comments on the matters."

Theo picked it up and quickly skimmed through the terrible, haphazard handwriting. After a few lines her eyes opened in wonder and her hands placed the paper flat on the table and she started reading it afresh. She silently mouthed the words then quickly looked up at Cathy.

"Walters, did I... Was this really..?" she looked at her open mouthed, intending for her to finish the sentence.

Cathy sat opposite her with a bland expression. "Child, do you mock me?"

"But it says here that I..."

"I know what it says Theo." Cathy leaned back in her chair and massaged her eyes with her forefinger and thumb. "I'll be honest with you. You make me look like Charlie Chaplin of the psychological community. A mask I'm still trying to rid myself of today."

Well there's a term she'd never heard before. "And what's a Charlie Chaplin?"

Cathy smiled half out of spite, half genuinely at her lack of general knowledge with her hand now shading her eyes. "A fool, imbecile, simpleton. A clown. Take your pick, as many as you like."

"Why? I don't mean the definition but rather why-..."

"Because I'm still here talking to you," she let out exasperated, expressing herself through her hands. "Because despite all that's hit the fan Theo, I'm still sitting here trying to figure you out. I still bother taking notes," she said absentmindedly flipping the pad over as if it meant nothing to her anymore, "and burning the midnight lamp in libraries trying to find something that relates with them."

There was a silence that followed. Unlike the last it wasn't uncomfortable as such and didn't really need any filling. She leaned her elbows on the wood and observed Cathy in reserved curiosity. Despite her strict nature and apparent vexation with how difficult she'd made for her it up till now, she actually seemed to care and didn't hold any resent towards her.

Cathy shot Theo a long look from the back of her chair. "I don't expect you to appreciate my efforts. The money your father pays me suffices in that regard really. Still there are times where I get so terribly tempted to write this entire case off as another social anxiety manifestation or even degenerative schizophrenia. Lord knows that's what the review board expects." That last part came out under her breath, more to herself. Her right hand twirled a pen in mid-air and her left rested underneath her right elbow.

She observed Cathy's gaze fall on the reflective wood where her glasses lay next to the discarded notepad. She was contemplating just that at this very moment. There was no question it'd gotten that far and she'd jumped into the game holding the shorter end of the stick.

This mishap was probably the last nail on the coffin and this lady couldn't afford to put off her decision much longer with whoever her higher ups were.

"Then why don't you?" Theo asked concerned. "Why stall?"

She didn't look up as she answered, keeping her gaze fixed where it was. "Ever seen what a chemically castrated or lobotomised person is like Theopatra? They're all but shells of their former selves, simply going through the motions. And with every day that passes, they wake up short of a piece of themselves. A piece that made them uniquely who they are." her eyes looked up, but it was like she was looking through her rather than directly at. "Imagine the fear; to know you're losing your individuality and you're helpless to do anything but sit by and watch it vanish. It's a sorrowful day after day cycle that only ends when there's nothing left.

'There are worse things.' she thought but could still appreciate where she was coming from. Before you die, Hell is still subjective and this must have been her take.

"Look at me," Cathy chided herself sitting up and getting her things in order, "busy answering your questions like you're the shrink." She started flipping pages again, trying to regain her business demeanour. "This is the most interactive you've ever been by a long shot so that's definitely a plus. Not to mention the lack of spite-..."

"I wouldn't blame you just so you know." It was Theo's turn to cut in.

Cathy stopped just shy of putting on her glasses. "What?"

"I wouldn't blame you," she repeated, a soft smile lingering on her lips, "You're clearly in a tight corner thanks to your superiors - and me if we're not being hypocritical. From the little you've told me, I definitely sound like a conceited and rather selfish character so I've probably had it a long time coming anyways." she finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

The suspicion on Cathy was as clear as broad day light. "Miss Summers, what in god's name has gotten into you?"

"I'm not sure I'm in the position to answer that honestly."

"We're talking about the permanent condition of your mental state for life. This here is not a good time to bluff."

"I know," the demon merely replied.

The psychiatrist nodded her head up and down slowly, an edge of her glasses dancing along the edge of her creased bottom lip. "Correct me if I'm wrong but the way you conveyed that, it insinuates that you don't quite see those characteristics of yourself, as obvious as they may have been to everyone else around you."

Theo sucked in her bottom lip and looked upwards in concentration. "It's not so much that I'm oblivious to my behaviour but rather I'm having difficulty calling it to mind."

Cathy put down her glasses with a clatter. "I won't lie, you're losing me completely dear."

"That's okay, lately I've been having a difficult time making sense of myself as well," she said pushing back the chair and standing up.

Morris instantly pushed off the wall to get her back on her seat but a hand held up by Cathy stopped him. She motioned at the girl to continue, showing interest at what she had to say.

"I don't really know how... how to put it in a way you'll understand," she began, leaning her rear on the short edge of the table adjacent to Cathy. She looked up, long and hard with a thoughtful expression plastered on her face before finally speaking, "This will probably be a doozy to relate to but ever had moments where you look in the mirror to see a completely different person? They look like you, sound like you but they just aren't."

Cathy wasn't taking notes. She just had her hands clasped together, fingers intertwined in front of her, listening attentively. "And what invokes that feeling?"

"Well..." She looked down at her friend's sandals and nervously rubbed a tip against the wooden tiles, bringing out light squeaks in the process. "These things you say I did, the words I spoke. I don't really have a clear recollection of any of them. It's like I wake up one day to find out I have a whole new history that I don't quite remember." She turned her head to directly regard the aging woman. "Even now, I just don't see it in me to actively have any desire to lay carnage to someone's home or torch their belongings. Not out of fear of the law or anything, just sheer..."

"Humanity?" Cathy finished when Theo seemed to be out of words.

Theo simply nodded looking back down and fidgeting with her feet again. "But the damage's already run its course so whatever I have to say now's inconsequential. That's partially why Morris is here isn't it? To protect you from me." She cast him a glance where he stood. He never said a word but he did lock her gaze though.

A weak smile crossed Cathy's lips as she brushed a hand through her fading hair and casting the cop a glance of her own, "Ridiculous isn't it? Nobody here truly believes you have superpowers of your own that you could hurt anyone with yet they bother with these extremities," her hand motioned in his general direction.

"I guess the factual problem here is people did get hurt and you did claim responsibility," she resumed sombrely. "It's sufficient reason to consider you a danger to the general public. Even if the apparent cause for shattering a public aquarium glass wall was - and I quote you on this - 'excessive bad luck.'"

Cathy put on her glasses again and picked up her pen. "But you're wrong. This does change things, I'll tell you that much. This changes a lot."

"How so?"

"For starters, as of immediately..." the last word dragged on as she was distracted by what she was jotting down, "You're completely off the medication I previously prescribed to you. All along it very well may have been doing more damage than good."

Theo circled the table to stand beside her. Her hand leaned on the table, curious to try and get a better look at what she was writing. All she saw however was scribbling of what could be called hieroglyphics all across the paper and every word she read needed to be decoded to make sense.

Theo squinted her eyes trying to ensure she read correctly. "Walters... I don't understand."

Cathy didn't look up as she spoke. "I thought something was off with you today, even before you stepped into this room." She dropped the pen and one smooth motion tore off the two sheets she wrote on, folding them neatly. "Your reserved nature, the polite temperament, the lack of pride and narcissism, it all should have spoken for itself but I dismissed it as a regressive response you'd have credit to all the negative past memories associated with this day.

"Then we step in here and have an actual conversation. That's never happened before. Not once. You never really say anything and always search for the quickest way to end a session. Be it through rude disposition or complete silence."

Theo couldn't help but internally lay out a string of colourful curses directed at the old her, wherever she was. What she'd done, many times over already, was the situational equivalent to using a toilet and leaving it thoroughly soiled, only for the next person to run clean-up on both their behalves. It wasn't appreciated.

"But this entire time I've been talking to a completely different individual it would seem." The psychologist continued, rising to her feet and packing her handbag.

Theo couldn't do much to disguise the shock in her eyes. Had she seen through her already? She was aware she was daring in being so explanative, even as the words came out of her mouth, but she the last thing she expected was for Cathy to take her so literally.

With all her belongings packed, they stood nearly eye level to each other whereas the lady was slightly taller due to the heels she wore. "Dear, I hold no certainty that you're not duping me over, but if what you just told me is indeed the honest truth, then you're in more dire need of help than I thought."

"Like what? I'm... possessed or something?" she ventured, desperate to know, or at least get an idea of what this woman had perceived of her before she left.

Cathy shook her head with a light chuckle. "I never would have pegged you for the religious or superstitious kind," she stepped around the girl, heading for the door. "Did you know, a hundred years ago, they either would have called in an exorcist or a priest on you and drowned you in holy water and incantations? If all else failed they would have beaten the so called 'demon' right out of you and for the most part they were on point. People just tend to be nuisances at will and pain's an effective tool in bringing one's sanity back to order.

"Albeit if the individual was sincerely ill then they'd inadvertently beat the poor thing to death. Luckily for you it's the twenty first century and I'm an atheist." she finished, Morris twisting the doorknob for her.

"Wait! So what's going to happen to me?"

Cathy looked back smiling a bemused smile. "I have to say. It's a pity, and it's not politically correct for someone in my position to say this but I do prefer this instance of you over the last. Unfortunately the fact that it exists independently is part of the problem and I'm not sure I'm qualified enough to help you. Since this wasn't a scheduled sitting, I won't record anything more than required for the statement. Now if you'll kindly excuse me I'll have to find your parents. Probably having a cow wherever they are."

Morris followed her, giving her a curt nod, tipping his cap on the way out. The door was left open and she noted a significant lack of the angry mob she'd left there on her way in. She exhaled in relief and backpedalled, eyes closed, to the dining table which she sat on it fully when she felt block her way. It swayed mildly, showing its age but she couldn't be less bothered to get down.

'Guess they are adults.' she thought running a hand through her new hair.

She was still to get a clue on how what she said changed anything or what was going to happen to her for that matter. All she intended for was to give off the subtle impression that just maybe there was a slight variance change that took place so she wasn't constantly subjected to her former self's expectations.

'The irony.'

But then it backfired completely and now the psychiatrist believes she's beyond medicine and her own intervention. Her parents were going to think she was even more of a nut case provided they were already past denial and this was all before she was considered an arsonist, vandal and general neighbourhood terrorist.

'It never rains but it pours...'

From what she gathered though, one thing was clarified. The original host definitely had access to her abilities and knew how to use them. However the system humans utilised in this age was limited to science and basic logic so supernatural events were unaccounted for. It left a huge loophole that could be taken advantage of by anyone enlightened with the means.

A small shadow cast over the light coming from the foyer area cut through her thoughts, notifying her of an intruder. Looking up she saw a head sticking out from the other side of the door, hands gripping the edge as if to check if it was empty first.

She instinctively frowned and leaned her elbows on her knees, her hair rolling down to cover her face.

"Is it safe?" She heard her ask.

"For me or you?" she shot back.

The shadow then covered more of the light and started getting closer. "So... she told you did she?"

Theo jerked her head up, flinging her locks over her shoulder. "You mean about the little accident at the gas station on the road trip? Or maybe you mean unleashing one and a half million litres of water on school kids having a tour? There's also the elevator shaft incident by the Span construction site. This could go on a while longer so do tell me when to stop."

Leslie raised a hand to her forehead, already weary with what was about to come. "Great. Another demon with a bleeding heart," she said just loud enough for the Theo to hear.

The demon cast her an incredulous look, "Well. I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive me... if I give a shit... when people die!" Her knuckles were going white from the death grip she had on the edge of the table. "Fuck Leslie. What in any deity's name would you need all that blood for anyways?"

"Gosh Theo you're blowing things out of proportion. No one died okay?" she crossed her fingers in front of her in an attempt to signify honesty. "Sure some got hurt, some more than others but it was all an accident, not some blood fundraiser." She started pacing up and down as she spoke, "You... I mean she didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"Bull. Once is an accident. Twice even," she signalled with her fingers, "but her... She was on a freaking roll."

"It wasn't. Her fault," she persisted, her voice escalating a little in anger. "You should know better than anyone else that trouble comes whether or not you're looking for it and she just happened to be in an unfortunate position that accommodated for a lot of it."

Theo had a stern expression on as her next words came out. "See that's the thing. I'm not necessarily blaming her for much."

Feet stopped in their tracks and turned with a squeak to face the girl still sitting on the table. "Of course not." she sarcastically laughed, "Can't believe I missed that." Leslie looked up to display hurt and disappointment written on her features. "Naturally you'd think I'm the center of it all wouldn't you? Doesn't everybody these days."