#I find it amusing we can make the LORD OF THE DEVILDOM work at silly stores

[minced-mangoes]

Gonna make him go say hi to his dad.

[aspenflower17]

Finding You (Part Six of ??)

Heya! I finished part six (yay!) and it is ready to be read 😁 It’s weird to me I’m on part six already seeing as how that seems like a lot, but also not enough. If you’re new here, the link to Part One is below. I also have links at the bottom of each chapter to go to the next one. You can also find my new Master List on my blog as a pinned post. As always, if you would like to be added to the tags list, just ask in a comment down below, or you can send me a message, and likes, comments and reblogs are always welcome!

Also, for anyone wondering, IKEA was fun (as always), but the store actually reached max capacity.. 1,400 people... During a pandemic... The line was so long, it reached the back of the self-serve furniture area (the place where you can pick up all the heavy/big items), and was starting to wrap around. Note, our IKEA has the switchback thing that amusement parks have for rides... So the line was easily hour wait. Suffice to say, we didn’t end up buying anything.

Part One

The Peeps!:  @simpingforsatan @naimena @hachimochi @wrathandgreed @magi-minminxiii @rensphilia

Word Count: 2030

Triggers/warnings: claustrophobia?... Maybe...?

I had my show in the Devildom. It was successful. He didn’t show up though.

Mc sighed, putting her journal down. As much as she hated to admit it, she was too upset to make much more of an entry for the day. It had been her first show in the Devildom, and it had been a huge success. She should be happy. No other show had ever been as successful. She wanted to be happy. She wasn’t though.

Mc got up to open her suitcase. She had made a secret compartment to carry the letter S had written to her. It had given her a lot of strength over the years and she almost considered it a good luck charm at this point. She reread the letter, laying down on the bed, though she knew it by heart at this point. 

She knew she was probably projecting too much on S. Besides the letter, she had only spoken with him maybe half an hour. Why was she so caught up on him? She didn’t even know his real name. Yes, he had greatly impacted her life and his letter and words of comfort had been a constant companion, but what did she actually know about him?

A sharp rap at her door interrupted her search, “Mc? Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

Luke entered her room, carrying a tray of tea.

“I figured you could use some tea after the day you’ve had.”

“Oh, thank you,” Mc smiled softly as Luke brought over a chair.

“Still upset?” Luke asked, pouring a cup for Mc.

“Hmmm?”

“Ever since the show you’ve seemed unhappy. Kind of depressed, like when you were a child.”

“Ah, well, I was a bit upset that my artist talk was interrupted so abruptly.”

“That turned out alright though, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s just not the same,” Mc shrugged, taking the proffered tea.

“So, that’s seriously what’s bothering you?” Luke asked, his eyebrow arched, then, “You’ll have plenty more shows down here if Diavolo had anything to say about it.”

“You think so?”

Luke smiled and shook his head at Mc, “Of course, silly. Barbatos told me all about it when I was getting the tea.”

“Well, I’m glad. I like it here, even though most of my time so far has been spent in that gallery space.”

“Well, I don’t know how much Michael likes it down here. I kept telling him he needs to ask Diavolo about Lucifer, but he says it’d be improper.”

Mc snorted, “Well, we wouldn’t want to be improper now would we?”

“He’ll be so surprised when he finds out what Diavolo’s planning for next week.”

“Hmmm?”

“I can’t tell you about it yet. It’s not set in stone, so I don’t want to get your hopes up.”

“Luuuuke! Where are you?” Michael’s voice came drifting from down the stairs, “I can’t figure out how to turn on the light in here!”

Luke rubbed his temple, “I’ve explained it like three times… Hold on! I’ll be down in a second!” Luke kissed Mc on the cheek, “Get some sleep and cheer up Sis.”

“Thanks Luke,” Mc smiled up at him, “I do have the best big brother don’t I?”

Luke grinned happily, “Good night Mc.”

After he left, Mc’s smile faltered and then fell. Her thoughts returning to before he had come in, “I should probably find something to do to break me out of this. Sulking in my room isn’t going to get me anywhere. I do have a whole castle to explore, though I don’t know how much of it I’m allowed to explore… Surely they couldn’t get too mad about me checking out the library…” and with that, she put her letter back in it’s secret place and left her room.

The castle was quiet, the padding of her feet the only sound. I guess even demons sleep. Her knowledge of demons seemed woefully inadequate as opposed to the knowledge she had about anything else that interested her. There just hadn’t been much information to find in the Celestial Realm unless it was how to defeat a demon, or to break the influence they had over a human. Of course she’d also heard the stories about the Great Celestial War. Six angels, led by the Morningstar himself, had gone on a rampage, and had been cast out. Being a scholar, Mc had never found a reason why they had rebelled, though she had read a lot of theories, most of them mere speculation that cast angels in the purest light possible. These, of course, she hadn’t listened to too intent;y. She knew angels had a lot of secrets already, being privy to many of them; they weren’t entirely innocent in many respects. She suspected this was true of this instance as well.

The library proved to be hard to find in one night, but by the time Mc felt sleep start to pull her back to her room, she had the layout of the castle halls almost memorized. She had actually found it easy to do, easier than almost every other place she’d been in. Of course, she didn’t know everything about the castle. If this castle didn’t prove to have a lot of secret doors and passageways, she would be sorely disappointed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The fog was so thick Mc felt like she could chew it. The ground beneath her feet was soft, but it didn’t feel like anything she knew. There was no sound, not even her breathing. Just a murky white everywhere. Mc couldn’t remember how she got here or what she was doing here, but she was searching. No time to think. No time to remember. She needed to find it. She had lost it. It hadn’t been on purpose, but it had happened. She would find it though. Surely she could find it. It was the most important thing. Cherished. Loved. So important.

The world was growing colder. Her hands were stinging and her feet were clumsy. She could still feel though. So cold. Too cold to move, yet she did. Nothing should be working right now. She should’ve collapsed long ago. How long ago? How long had she been here? Did it matter?

She hadn’t found the thing yet. What was it? If she found it, she’d be warm. It would keep her warm and safe. No more searching. She would never lose it again. She just needed to find it.

A dim light started to pulse slowly. Was that it? Was that what she had lost? No. Maybe it could help her find it. The light got brighter as she continued forward. What was it? Light was good though, right? Light was a marker. Light could help the lost. It illuminated. It could help her find it.

The light was now right in front of her. It was so bright! Almost blindingly so. The area around her started to heat up, her feet and hands throbbing with relief. Was this it? What she had been searching for? Something within her screamed to turn around, but the heat was so welcome, even if it hurt. Hurt worse than anything she knew. She would be safe here. If she had to keep searching, so be it. She just needed to rest a bit. She reached out to the light, her hand backlit against the light. She grabbed at the light, and was then falling.

Mc gasped, sitting up straight in bed. Where was the light? Where was she? After a couple moments, Mc remembered where she was. On a bed. In a guest room. In Lord Diavolo’s castle. In the Devildom.

Mc reached for the glass on the bedside table with shaking hands. Spilling a little on her blankets, she tried to shake off the claustrophobic feeling that lingered. She hadn’t had a dream about her first memory in a while. After she had become an angel she had learned about what happened to human souls after they passed. Some found their way straight to the Celestial Realm, blinking and waking up to the eternal light. Some were wanderers though. While many wandered just a little while, some wandered endlessly through the fog she had experienced. Though the angels didn’t know exactly what caused this, many of those who wandered a long time before finding their way to the Celestial Realm were sad in some way, as she was.

She had gone home that day and asked Simeon about it, and he had told her she had wandered the longest of any soul in the Celestial Realm. She had been very cold and it had taken a while for her to wake up. She had been a little horrified, and Simeon assured her it was nothing to be concerned or ashamed about. It was simply a fact and no one held it against her, least of all Luke or him. She had wanted to believe him so bad, but everyone treated her lasting loneliness as a bad thing, so she had been forced to hide it. Pretend she didn’t feel lonely. Pretend she was fine.

She fumbled for something to distract herself and found her DDD. She worked for a second and finally turned it on, the light actually hurting her eyes. They adjusted quickly though and she groaned as she saw it was nowhere near time to get up. The thought of falling asleep again was not an option so she decided to start scrolling though Devilgram. Apparently the app was rather old as far as in-vogue apps went, but Lord Diavolo had said he would never use a different social media app, so it persisted as the number one app. She still wasn’t really used to the layout, Luke having helped her set up her artist’s talk.

She went to the post and found a lot of comments and likes. She started reading them, smiling as people praised the ingenuity of her work, frowning slightly at those who were impressed “an angel could have such an eye for art”, and rolling her eyes at the comments that criticized her species, clearly just upset she was an angel.

As she continued reading however, she ran across a couple comments asking if anyone had more information about the demons who had caused quite the uproar during the artists talk. Confused, because everyone had been very respectful at the center, Mc opened the replies, and found a whole thread of people who were upset they had been pushed and otherwise knocked out of the way of one demon who had been running through the maze following another demon who had been flying. Many speculated they were the reason the artists' talk had been cut short, and some theorized they were running to the center to harm her. A couple people tried to cut through the noise, stating the demons in question were Mammon and Satan, both Avatars of Sin. Most of the comments about this said Mammon acting this way seemed normal, but they couldn’t understand why Satan would do something like that. It seemed so out of character, a lot of the replies to these comments said they were either liars or sorely mistaken thinking it was Satan.

Mc’s heart jolted a little bit, seeing Mammon’s name. She recognized it as one of the angels who had fallen, and the name Satan had been mentioned in some history accounts as having taken form from Lucifer’s anger, though the information on him had been scarce and some thought he was just a myth. After all, how could someone be born from an emotion?

So, he’s real after all. Not that I thought he wasn’t, or at least, I figured there was at least some truth to the stories. Oh, someone has a picture of them. Wait… Is that?

At that moment, the app shut down.

“No, no, no, no,” Mc said, clicking the app again. It couldn’t have been… Could it? Her screen changed, but nothing loaded. An error message then popped up on screen, saying the app could not load, and to try again later.

Mc sat stunned for a second before springing into action.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Seven

[fallstreakfeathers]

Don’t Look Down, Chapter 2, Rating: T ~4100 words Warnings: none https://archiveofourown.org/works/23956846/chapters/60761470

If Kita thought the brightness of the moon was overbearing inside the extravagant building, it was nothing compared to being in its direct path. She squinted against the pale beams as she stepped out of the doorway after the white haired demon. His pace was fast, as if he was trying to lose her, and she had to take two or three steps for his every one. She could hear him grumbling lowly about something, but couldn’t be bothered to listen closer. In fact, she wished he’d just close his stupid, too-loud mouth. The soft calls of some kind of animal hidden in the treeline caught her attention and she slowed herself to peer through the ever looming darkness, not that it was overly difficult with the moon hanging in the sky like some kind of sentinel. The green leaves swayed lightly in the breeze. The wind sent small ripples through the field of grass. It was only then that she noticed the scent of living plantlife. A group of small creatures fluttered from the branches, startled by the couple trespassing below them. She blinked slowly. Birds? There was not a trace of sulfur, fire, or death on the air. She stepped over a group of small blue flowers she couldn’t identify. The spotted leaves were jagged, with some sort of liquid oozing from the stems. “Hey, human! What’re ya staring at? Ya never seen flowers before? Pick up the pace!”

Kita said nothing as she placed her footsteps a bit faster. She kept her head down, abandoning her plan to run as light from the lamps that lined the streets glowed bright against the wet pavement. “Can’t believe those jerks left me to babysit you alone.” There’s no way she’d get out of here without knowing where she was going. Did she really expect things to be that easy? Of course not, only an idiot would think that. I’m an idiot. She felt like a prisoner being escorted to her own execution, and the feeling was only made stronger as she caught the curious and hungry eyes of various demons on the streets. Those in the lights of the street appeared human, or mostly so, but a few hid in the shadows and their forms shifted and flittered as they stared. One of these feral creatures approached the group, prowling like some kind of cat, only to scamper away when Mammon growled a guttural, throaty sound. Kita cringed. The short display almost reminded her of those silly groups of kids in her school years who pretended to be dogs or sometimes horses. Of course, she was the local velociraptor in those days, and occasionally a Tyrannosaur. The only difference was the very real threat behind the noise bubbling from the demon’s chest. “You were full of piss n’ vinegar earlier, what’s with the silence?” She released a heavy breath as she continued to pretend he didn’t exist. Earlier she was terrified, now she was just exhausted. If she stayed quiet and kept her head down, if she didn’t make eye contact, then everything would be fine. He’d eventually leave her alone. That’s how it always was. She sneered at the demon that glanced at her ever-so-often and the not-so-quite grumbling that traveled back to her on the wind as they stopped in front of a swooping steel gate with a dry “we’re here.” Kita squinted at the towering building behind it. The mansion almost appeared to have multiple shacks stacked on top of it, along with castle-like spires. Beside it stood a tall, black tree with branches that reached towards the moon. The whole area looked like something out of an old vampire movie. So… demons really like over-the-top crap? Mammon placed his hands on the gate, pushing it open. It swung wide with a creak. “I don’t believe this,” he muttered, “of all the rotten, unfair luck.” She rolled her eyes while he continued to complain with his hands on his hips. “Why do I have to look after some stupid human? It’s insulting! And just so we’re clear, it’s not like I can’t say no to Lucifer, alright!?” Kita sighed, remembering once more that she not only had to survive the year in an entirely different world, but also was going to have to deal with 7 demon lords who, if they were consistent, were all over-dramatic assholes. What did she do to anger God enough that he’d allow this sort of misfortune? “I only agreed to babysit you because…” he babbled “... well. Um, you know...uh…” “I don’t care,” she whispered wearily.

“What?” the demon shouted, “oh! Now you’re really in for it you stupid… although I’m sorta surprised you’ve got the guts to talk to me like that. You should be scared.” What about her behavior implied that she wasn’t? Did she really come off as if she were delighted to be in his presence? “I mean, I’m a demon. Even a human would get that, right?”

She pushed past him onto the stone path that led to the doorsteps of the mansion What makes you any more dangerous than literally anything I could be killed by in my own world? “You’re seriously weird,” he shook his head as he pushed the door open, “whatever, come on then.” Kita glanced around the heavily decorated hallway as the door clicked shut behind her. The high walls were patterned with purple and silver paper. A long plush carpet led from the front entrance and under a wooden archway into another room. A cheery fireplace could be seen at the far end of the room, glinting off the polished wood floors and filling the area with a sweet, smoky scent. Two dragon-like gargoyles stood guard at the front of the hall, with a marble staircase winding behind them both, up into another hall. All in all, the two rooms alone looked like they cost more than she’d ever make in her lifetime. Kita felt even more out of place than she had on the Devildom streets. “This is the House of Lamentation,” Mammon said. He waved vaguely at the space around them, “it’s one of the dorms here at R.A.D.” Yes. It wasn’t like the prince hadn’t clarified that at least four times. “Well, not just one of the dorms. It’s the dorm reserved for student council members.” Kita simply nodded. The sooner he finished talking, the sooner she’d be taken to her room and then (hopefully) left alone. “The others take every opportunity to insult me,” he prattled, as he led her through the hall “callin’ me scum and money-grubber and shit like that… But I’m an officer on the student council too! The elite of the elite. Top of the social pyramid.” He turned to her. “In other words, I’m a big shot! A real big shot! Even regular big shots are impressed by what a big shot I am!” Big ego is more like it. “By the way, Diavolo is even more of a big shot. He’s so important he’s got his own castle.” “I figured he would...you all call him ‘prince’.” If I have to hear the words ‘big shot’ one more time, I’m finding a thesaurus and throwing it at his stupid face. “Right… anyway, the long and short of it is that us seven brothers live here together and-...hey, what's with that expression? If you’ve got somethin’ to say, you’d best do it now.” Kita blinked. Was she making weird looks? “Sorry,” she muttered, “you all call each other ‘brothers’ but you look nothing like each other.”

“That’s really what you’re wonderin’ about? We aren’t brothers in the human sense,” he shrugged, “it’s more like we share a title, we’ve fought together, live together, yadda yadda, ya get it?” “Sure.” “Seriously, you got a personality thing or somethin’?”

Does he ever shut up?

“Doesn’t matter, “ he continued, “I’m gonna give you a piece of advice, and you’d better listen up 'cause I won’t repeat myself.”

She spotted movement from the corner of her eye as the demon spoke, and she glanced to the staircase where another demon stalked down the marble steps. His eyes burned an angry yellow-orange that peeked out from under the light purple fringes of his hair. He was clearly taller than her. Of course he was. Were demons just naturally this tall? “If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re about to be attacked by a demon, you need to either run or just die.” What? Kita gawked at him in disbelief. The yellow-eyed demon reached the bottom step, glaring as he continued to move behind Mammon. “Are you serious?!” “Yes.” Kita frowned and then snorted. “So just die, then?” “Actually, I vote for you to die, Mammon!”

“Ah! Levi!” the demon yelped, “didn’t see ya there. I...Uhh...L-Listen up here, human! This here is Leviathan, Avatar of Envy. He’s the third oldest of us brothers.” The demon grinned brightly as he spoke, “his name’s sorta hard to say, so you can just call him Levi!” “Uh...no thanks,” Kita deadpanned. Nicknames were reserved for friends. Nicknames meant something. They were special, and not to be given to people who didn’t want to be around her in the first place. She refused to call anyone who wasn’t at least a friend anything short of their name. Besides, ‘Leviathan’ really wasn’t that difficult to pronounce. “Suit yourself.” “Mammon, give me back my money,” Leviathan growled, “then go crawl in a hole and die!” Woah. That was...unnecessary. Kita’s eyebrows scrunched as he flung insults at the white haired demon. “I’ll get it to you, I already told ya. I just need more time,” Mammon shrugged. “More time?! You’ve been telling me you need ‘more time’ for the last two hundred years!” She nearly choked on her spit. Two hundred years? These people were at least two hundred years old? “Hey, no! It’s been two hundred and sixty,” Mammon corrected, “get it right.” This got a small, amused laugh out of her and she quickly covered her mouth as the two demons turned their attention to her. For creatures supposedly hundreds of years old, they sure acted like children. Leviathan shook his head as he grumbled. “Seriously, Mammon, you’re-” “I’m what?” he snapped, “scum? Is that what you’re gonna say?” “You’re a lowlife and a waste of space,” the Avatar of Envy finished with a snarl. Alright, now I just feel kinda bad for him. Kita winced. Nobody should have to deal with being spoken to like that, especially by their own family… brother-in-arms? Sharer of titles? Whatever. “I couldn’t pay you back anyway, I don’t have the money.” “So you’re saying you refuse to pay me back?” “You lookin’ for a fight? Is that it?!” Oh my God. I’m gonna have to listen to this for an entire year. Mammon suddenly turned to Kita again. “Hey, human. Ya know how I told you what to do when a demon attacks? You’re about to witness that for real so…” he paused for a moment, “time for you to die, ‘cause if it’s gonna be you or me, it ain’t gonna be me!” “Wait,” Leviathan said, “ I thought you said-” Mammon smirked at her, and almost as fast as she could blink, he disappeared up the stairs. “-that asshole! He ran off!” Leviathan shook his head in disappointment. “You get what happened, right? He used you as a sacrifice.” “Somehow, that does not surprise me,” Kita snorted. “I’ll admit that Mammon is one of the scummiest scumbags you’ll ever meet,” the demon said, “a total lowlife, but that was still pretty dumb of you for letting him use you like that, I mean this is exactly why humans are-” For the love of all that is holy...unholy...do they all talk this much? “Wait!” he exclaimed, “ you’re human! That gives me an idea.” Why did she feel like this was a bad thing? “Can it wait until tomorrow?” she asked gingerly. “Nope. You’re coming with me!” Kita yelped as his hand suddenly gripped her sleeve and he began dragging her up the stairs with him. “Let go,” she barked, pushing her heels into the floor in an attempt to force him to stop. “Quiet!” he hissed as he halted in front of a door. He glanced around nervously before tugging her inside and closing the door. She twisted around, preparing a few choice words regarding her treatment before stopping with her mouth open like a fish out of water. The room she’d been so unceremoniously dragged into was like something out of her wildest dreams. Light shined through what looked like it might be a pool in the ceiling, sending rippled reflections across the tiled floor. Luminescent jellyfish hung vertically, leading down to a porcelain tub with what appeared to be a body pillow laying in it. An enormous aquarium had been slotted into the wall. Coral and various plants poked out of the sandy bottom, and it seemed silly that the only occupant of a tank with such magnitude was a small goldfish.

That was to say nothing of the enormous amount of manga and various figurines placed around the room. In the corner sat what had to be the most computers she’d ever seen in a single house. It... It was pretty badass, she had to admit.

“This is your bedroom?” she asked incredulously. “Uh.. Yeah.” “It’s beautiful.” Leviathan nodded once. “You want to know why I looked around to see if anyone was looking before I closed the door?” “Not particularly but I can take a few guesses.” “Well why do you think I did it? Not that it isn’t totally obvious. Imagine what would happen if someone saw me invite you into my room!” he rambled, “a human who doesn’t even look like an otaku! A normie! Do you know what people would say?” Oh no, he’s one of those kinds. “I don’t honestly care, sorry.” “You should! It’d be insane!” Kita murmured a snide comment to herself as she wandered over to the tall bookshelf by the door. She peered curiously at the unfamiliar, often ridiculously long titles before a thick book with black leather and silver trim caught her attention. “What, human? What are you looking at?” Kita pointed at the book, making sure she didn’t touch it. “Oh, that's The Tale of the Seven Lords! Are you a fan of that too?” He sounded almost...excited? “Not at the moment. I don’t know that we even have it in the human world,” she apologized. “What’s it about?” She must’ve asked something right if the way the demon’s eyes lit up were any indication. “You don’t know TSL? And you call yourself a human?!” “Actually, I call myself ‘Kita’,” she snarked, “you lot seem to be the ones set on the ‘human’ bit.” “Listen, just the fact that you don’t know TSL alone is proof that you’ve been wasting your life!” “Do enlighten me on what I’ve missed,” she snorted. There was something about this one that made him slightly easier to talk to than the others she’d met so far- not that she could put a finger on what it was.

“The Tale of the Seven Lords, TSL, is a series of fantasy novels written by Cristopher Peugeot. It’s a heroic spanning 138 volumes, and the most widely read fantasy series in the world,” he began.

On, and on, and on some more the demon rambled about the book. Books. 138 of them? That was crazy. Do all demons talk this much? Honestly, that’d be true Hell, right there. Skip the burning and rending, just keep talking. Kita listened, not out of any particular interest so much as the excitement in the Avatars voice. She knew what it was like to try to talk to someone about something she liked, only to be ignored or shoved off. She wouldn’t be that person, even to a stranger who’d literally dragged her sorry ass up a flight of stairs. Besides, his energy was somewhat contagious, even if he’d been speaking for at least twenty minutes. “There’s that one really awesome moment where the two of them realize they both like and respect each other, and they high-five! I just love that part,” he jabbered, “I wish I could have a moment like that.” “I’m sure you will,” Kita said. “Wait, you’re still listening to me?” Leviathan gawked. Kita nodded. “Most people’s eyes would’ve glazed over by now…” he said, “uh...oh! Check it out,” he pointed to the aquarium. “See that goldfish there? His name’s Henry. I love TSL so much that I couldn’t help naming him after the main character. I can’t high-five a goldfish though.” “Well you can’t with that attitude,” Kita snickered.

Leviathan frowned, suddenly sullen. “You humans are so lucky,” he said, “you’ve got subscription services that let you watch any anime you want to, you can go to Akihabara whenever you want…” Aki-what? Ah, who cares. “Why do only you guys get to experience the good stuff? I mean humans’ whole concept of pleasure originally came from us demons, you know,” he whined,” so why can’t we take a little of that back now? I want to go to a Japanese maid cafe too, y’know? I want to cosplay as Henry, or go stand in the center of Akihabara, or maybe under that one building in Tokyo that’s shaped like upside-down triangles. Once I’m there, I want to perform Henry’s super powerful signature finishing move for all to see and say the incantation that goes with it!” Is he...Is he breathing? How is he saying all that in one breath?!

“Actually, you know what? I want to be Henry,” he finished.

“Screw normies,” Kita yawned, suddenly aware yet again that she’d been kept up far later than she thought was humane. Of course, these guys were demons. What was she expecting? “Yeah! Screw ‘em!”

The demon frowned again as he spoke. “Alright, enough. This is starting to depress me. I didn’t bring you here to tell you about TSL.” “I was wondering when that would be addressed,” Kita muttered quietly. “I don’t think there’s any harm in coming out and saying what you already know is true: Mammon is a complete, and utter scumbag.” “Got it.” Really, it didn't seem like demons had much of a vocabulary. Not that she had a great one either, but still. “It’s very important that you understand this, so I’ll say it one more time.” “No need, I assure you I understand perfectly. Just… get to the point,” she grumbled, “why am I in here?” “I lent that scumbag money and now I want it back, but being the scumbag that he is, he won’t do it.” “What do you expect me to do about it?” Kita asked, quickly losing patience. She was hungry, she was tired, she was stressed, and a hundred other things already. She wasn’t fond of the idea of spending another hour in the room. “You should probably know how Mammon and I first became enemies.” “I… No. Just get to the point, please,” she sighed. “Fine. As third born, I don’t have a chance to get my money back on my own,” he explained, “but if, say, a human made a pact with Mamon and bound him to their service…” he gave her a pointed look.

“No.” “What? Why not? He’d have to do whatever you told him!” “Not interested.”

“Is it the whole ‘selling your soul’ bit? That’s not always necessary, you know!” Leviathan argued, “it depends on what’s in the pact.” “Not. Interested.” “No, no, just listen, I’ll tell you how to negotiate with Mammon!” Oh, for the love of...

“It’d be useful for you to have him as your servant,” he assured, “despite how awful he is, he’s still very powerful! You’re probably worried being down here in the Devildom, so it’s not like it’s a bad deal for you. Don’t you agree?” “What makes you think I’d even be able to control him? I’m sure pacts aren’t as cut-and-dry as you’re trying to make them sound,” she disagreed. “You’ll do fine.” Sure I would, Kita snorted. She had the authoritative presence of a sea snail. If she couldn’t get other humans to listen to her, what hope did she have of commanding a demon? Much less a demon lord? She wasn’t sure she wanted that sort of power over another being anyway, no matter how obnoxious they were. “Listen,” Kita drawled as she rubbed her eyes, “I’ve had a very long, exhausting, somewhat upsetting day. If you could be so kind as to show me to wherever I’ll be holed up while I’m stuck here, I’ll give you an answer tomorrow when I’ve had time to think and maybe do a little research on what exactly a pact entails because there’s no way in Heaven or Hell that I’ll be doing anything like that until I know precisely how it all works.” Oh dear lord, was Leviathan’s rambling rubbing off on her? Did she take a breath?

“It’s only 3pm,” the demon stated.

“It’s dark.” “We don’t have a sunrise here,” Leviathan explained. What’s shining off the moon, then? Kita wanted to ask. 

She shook her head. It didn’t really matter. “Whatever. I’m still going to bed,” she said,” you can show me to my room or I'll just use the tub.” With a groan and something muttered about “normies”, Leviathan opened the door, motioning her to follow him down the hall. They stopped at the very last door, closest to the window that hung at the end of the corridor. “There’s your room,” Leviathan muttered before walking past her. He disappeared around the corner. Kita exhaled wearily, slowly opening the creaky door. Her shoulders went slack. By the head and foot of the bed stood two trees that stretched themselves against the roof of the room. Lichen hung off the gnarled bark. Some kind of viney plant that looked suspiciously like ivy creeped its way across the stone walls and behind the twirling, curled wooden bedframe. Colorful lanterns hung from the branches, providing light for the room. A smooth table had been placed just behind one of the trees and a group of intricate chairs sat underneath it. Beyond the table, a dresser, as ornate as everything else, held a variety of items on top. A brass skull lay next to a teapot. Hot tea does sound nice right about now. Maybe peppermint...or lavender. Beside the teapot, a group of various books had been stacked along with a small, empty picture frame. Next stood a cabinet that appeared to have been made from a coffin. More books lined one of the shelves, and the top shelf had a small red and gold container. Beside it stood a small horse figurine that reared angrily, and a potted plant rested next to it. In the very center of the room hung a twisted rust-colored chandelier. Open flamed candles burned off the twigs branching from the frame. Is that safe with all the wood here? Two decorated rugs crossed each other over the old and worn flooring. Aside from the color of the pillows and sheets, various shades of light pinks, the room was right up her alley. Kita ran a hand over the silky coverings on the bed, wanting nothing more than to fall face-first into the cloudlike softness of the pillows lined against the headboard. But that’s where they’d expect to find her. That’s where these strangers would expect to find her, defenseless, vulnerable as she rested. Kita mumbled to herself as she searched for somewhere else in the room to sleep. Under the table was a no-go. She wouldn’t fit under the bed, and between the mattress wouldn’t work either. She ruffled through the plant at the edge of the bed, frowning at the lack of space between its branches and the wall. It left a small, cramped crawl space that she might’ve been able to fit into if she bothered to break a few of the twigs. She’d keep it in mind. Kita glanced around the room anxiously. A large air vent protruded out near the top of the wall. There was no way she’d be able to get to that. Finally, her sight landed on the large tree by the headboard of the bed. She curled her hand into the bark, pulling to test its durability. When it held, she began hoisting herself up the ivy and lichen, grunting with the effort as she reached the first branches. She continued climbing into the leaves until they covered her completely, settling flat on a large limb and clutching the main body of the tree with an exhausted sigh. I hope this thing doesn’t have spiders or something.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.

[wolfess19]

Beach Ritual

[Disclaimer: Obey Me! is copyright of NTT Solmare - I do not own anything other than the story created below]

“Feels good to be back in the Human World, isn’t it?”

You turn your head to Lucifer and smile. “I still can’t believe you actually convinced Lord Diavolo to let us spend the weekend here,” you said as you looked out at the lapping waves in the distance, “It’s been so long since my last beach visit.”

“Not just any beach, mind you,” he reminded, waving his hand towards the luxury resort behind you, “I believe it’s only fair we relax in style.”

You couldn’t agree more – these past few weeks in the Devildom as one of the human exchange students could get tiring at times, and this isn’t from making sure you aren’t another demon’s next meal. The resort before you is massive – palm trees swaying gently in the sea breeze as they lean in slight angles on fine, golden sand; little bamboo huts topped with straw roofs dotted the shore, providing shade for those who do not wish to spend too much time in the sun; lounge chairs close by for those who would be in the open, large parasols either open or closed depending on who would prefer to sunbathe. Behind this beach are a row of white buildings lined up along a marble catwalk – condominiums with balconies on the top floors as well as a shaded roof for those who’d prefer a panoramic view of the location.

“Well, we’re not going to stand here all day,” Lucifer reminded, “Let’s settle in.” You nodded and picked up your luggage as you walked over to one of the condominiums. Almost immediately the sound of two of the brothers could be heard as you opened the door.

“As the second eldest, I believe I should get the fancy room with a balcony overlooking the beach!”

“That’s not fair, I got to this room first!”

You and Lucifer shared a sigh as Mammon and Levi argued on who gets to have one of the rooms on the second floor. “Should we try to break up the argument or...” you trailed off, seeing Leviathan eventually give up and head to another room instead, “Never mind.”

You padded up the stairs with Lucifer – personally you’d also like a room with a balcony, but having just a beach view from your window is perfectly fine. You had just started to change out of your jeans and blouse when your door burst open. “Hey, MC! Let’s – GAH!!” Mammon started before turning around abruptly, hiding the blush from his face, “Sorry!!”

“Couldn’t you knock first?!” you scolded as you stood half-naked by your bed. “R-Right, I’ll just...wait outside,” he stuttered as he closed the door, thankful Lucifer isn’t standing nearby to see this. “What do want anyway?” you asked as you picked out a change of clothes from your bag. “Well, I was thinking...uh...” he replied, still flustered from seconds ago, “You know what, I think I’ll ask later.”

“You just walked in on them mid-change, didn’t you?” Leviathan teased, laughing as Mammon blushed harder. “We just got here and already you two are being troublesome,” Lucifer growled, though secretly amused at Mammon’s embarrassment. “It’s fine,” you assured, “He probably got too excited anyway.”

You opened the door to find they’ve all changed into their beach attire. Mammon has on a simple black-and-white tank top over loose black shorts with gold palm tree silhouettes; Leviathan wore a multi-shade blue muscle shirt over Goku-inspired beach shorts. Lucifer, being modest as always, decided to wear a crimson-and-black Hawaiian button down over loose black beach pants; the buttons on his blouse were half-open, revealing a hint of his bare chest underneath.

You decided to go with [choice of top] and [choice of bottom] in your favorite color(s). “I feel under-dressed compared to you guys,” you giggled. “Don’t be silly, you look good!” Mammon assured, “Not as good as me, though!”

“Seriously, stop hogging all the attention...” Levi muttered, “Any more of that and you might as well be Asmo right now.”

“Did someone call my name?” a voice floated from the first floor. You looked down over the stair railing to see Asmodeus smiling up at you. He’s already changed into a dusty pink loose top over black-and-pink Hawaiian shorts. “Beel’s already started cooking breakfast, so I thought I should call you over while it’s still hot.”

You were already rushing down the stairs as he was speaking, knowing Beelzebub would most likely already start chowing down before anyone came over.; followed him to the condominium next door. The fresh smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the air, combined with a meaty note of handmade burger patties as they sizzled in a pan. “Could someone go ahead and wake Belphie up?” Beel asked, knowing his twin had already decided to take a quick nap in his room upon arrival, “I’m almost done cooking.”

“I got him,” you offered as you headed upstairs to Belphie’s room, finding him asleep in the middle of unpacking his luggage. You gently nudged his shoulder until his violet eyes opened. “Oh...morning, MC...” he greeted sleepily, “I meant to get changed, but this bed looks so soft – I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, get up and get changed already,” you giggled, “Breakfast is ready downstairs.” He nodded and sat up, yawning loudly as you left his room. You headed back down just in time to catch Beelzebub serving stacks of pancakes on a large plate. “Need some help?” you offered as he started carrying them to the table. “Sure, you could grab the other stack on the counter,” he replied. You looked back at the tall pile of pancakes before carefully lifting the plate; walked slowly to avoiding dropping anything.

Breakfast time is conversational as usual, though minus anything to do with RAD as per Lucifer’s request – he admitted that while he didn’t mind handling Student Council matters, it actually feels nice to not do any work for a change. “You’re telling me! Sure is refreshing to see you finally chilling with all of us,” Mammon agreed. “Kind of rare to see you all-relaxed and stuff,” Levi joined in. “Oh please,” Lucifer snickered, “I’m not always that busy.”

“Sorry we’re late!” Satan apologized as he showed up with Belphegor, “I got distracted by a new book I got.” The former had gotten into a Cuban blouse over matching pants, while the latter decided to wear a loose multi-shade indigo shirt over navy blue beach shorts; carrying his pillow as always.

After breakfast was over and all the dishes cleaned up, Mammon decided to head out to the beach to catch some surf and sun. “MC, you can come with if you wanna snap pics of me on the waves!” he offered. “If anyone’s asking for pictures to be taken, that’d be me...” Asmodeus countered, “After all, I’m the best-looking one here.”

“Wait, are we actually going outside?” Leviathan asked, “Like outside-outside under the sun and feet on the sand?”

“There’s nobody else but us in this resort,” Lucifer replied, “I made sure to book this weekend just for ourselves.” His assurance calmed him down. “I got the ice cream!” Beelzebub called out as you all head out of the condominium, balancing the tubs in one arm and carrying a sleeping Belphegor on the other. “How does he keep falling asleep most days...” Satan sighed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lucifer and Satan relaxed on a couple of lounge chairs, one reading a book and the other napping with sunglasses over his eyes. “Alright, surf’s up!” Mammon called as he ran towards the shore carrying his surfboard, “MC, make sure you got your D.D.D. up taking a video!”

“Already am!!” you called back as you ran after him, “Go catch that wave!!” Leviathan sat in one of the nearby bamboo huts already gaming away, headphones blaring music loud enough for anyone near him to hear it. Asmodeus settled in another, licking a Popsicle Beelzebub handed him to combat the heat. Belphegor eventually woke and looked up from his pillow to see you standing on the shore, water lapping your knees.

Mammon pulled himself further into sea before standing up on his surfboard as the wave began to build up. “Watch this! The Great Mammon is gonna ride the biggest wave of all -!” he boasted before he slipped, yelping as he splashed backwards into the water as his balance gave out. “Instant Wipe Out!!” Leviathan called out, pausing his game just to laugh hard, “Lol, you suck!”

You couldn’t help laughing yourself as Mammon dragged himself out of the water, soaked head to toe making his clothes cling to his muscular body. “Sh-Shut up, I slipped...” he argued, unable to fight a blush forming on his face. You were about to say something to him when something on the water caught your attention.

It was far off, but you could see a boat – a catamaran, to be specific. White sails trimmed with blue and purple lines catching the wind as it floated gracefully on the waves; the boat’s body had a name painted on the side. A name that you barely remember -

“MC?”

Mammon’s voice snapped you back to reality. “You okay? You were staring off into nothing for a few seconds.”

“I saw a boat...” you trailed off as you looked back at the water, noticing the catamaran was gone. “A boat?” Mammon asked, “But there’s nothing out there – maybe the heat’s getting to you.” You felt him pull you away to seat you under some shade; left to grab some ice cream to cool you both.

‘I know I saw it...’ you thought, ‘But where did it go?’

Mammon caught you staring out the sea again, this time deep in thought. “MC, are you okay?” he asked, concern laced in his voice. You turned to him and smiled. “I’m peachy!” you replied, “You’re right, I’m probably just seeing things.”

He chuckled and handed you your ice cream before sitting and eating his ice cream next to yours. You were staring off again after a while, this time worrying him. “I’m alright, really...” you assured, unaware Lucifer woke up hearing your voice shake for a second. “You could head inside for a bit,” the eldest brother suggested, “I understand not all humans could handle the heat.”

You decided not to argue and headed back to the condominium on your own, unaware the rest of the brothers are now getting more than concerned for you. “I don’t think it’s the heat getting to them...” Satan spoke.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That night, you were strangely silent during dinner. “MC, is something wrong?” Leviathan asked, “You were all smiles earlier today and now you seem...down.” You put on your best smile and assure him that you’re just tired. “In fact, I think I’ll just go to bed,” you added before excusing yourself. Mammon was about to follow you but got stopped by Asmodeus, the latter shaking his head.

As soon as you closed the door to your room, the pain in your chest grew heavier. You recognize that boat. You remember all the memories you had about it. Memories that you decided to bury in the deep corners of your mind. “Hey, MC?” Belphegor called from the other side of the door, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine...” you replied, quickly wiping away any tears as he let himself in. He found you seated on your bed staring out the window; sat close and gently draped his arm around you. “Were you crying? Your eyes look puffy...” he pointed out. “Just something in my eye – probably some sand or an eyelash,” you answered.

He decided not to push you any further and planted a kiss on your forehead. “Alright, just holler out if you need company,” he said before getting up. “Thanks...” you whispered as he left.

Sleep was the last thing on your mind, however. So as soon as you felt the brothers had turned in for the night, you quietly left your room and silently padded down the stairs, taking care not to make the door squeak as you headed out. You then made your way back to the beach, the cool night air feeling refreshing on your skin as the salty sea air hit your nostrils. You eventually reached the shore and stood silently, eyes scanning the horizon hoping you’d see that white catamaran again.

“...where are you...” you asked no one in particular.

“Who are you talking to?” a familiar voice asked from behind you. You gasped and saw Lucifer standing a short distance away from you. Besides the fact he looks tired from getting up this late, there was also a hint of worry behind those crimson eyes. “As for why am I out here, I heard you sneaking out,” he explained, “So you can either explain what happened to your mood earlier this afternoon, or I could make you talk.”

You sighed and looked back towards the sea. “There is a reason why I haven’t been to the beach in a long time,” you started, “But I doubt you’d be interested to hear me out.”

“Try me,” he countered, seeing you reveal a small glass bottle with a rolled up piece of paper inside. “When I was a kid, the only family I had was my father...” you began

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You were 10 years old.

You and your father were preparing for another fishing trip for the weekend; loading up supplies on his white catamaran, Angelus Gloria. The weather station said there was gonna be a storm coming in, but neither of you paid any attention as you were both risk takers. “Do you think we’d get a huge catch this time?” you asked as you jumped onto the deck. “We’ll see, kiddo!” he replied, untying the boat from the harbor as you began to set sail.

Unfortunately the storm was much worse that you anticipated. “Hang on!!” he called out as the catamaran rocked and swayed precariously on the rough seas. You couldn’t tell which was louder: your screaming or the boat suddenly splitting apart from being tossed onto some rocks.

The next thing you knew you were tossed overboard, body hitting the freezing cold water hard. Luckily you could swim and immediately grabbed onto the first floating item your hands brushed against – an inflatable raft that your father had hastily prepared moments ago. You climbed in and clung for your life, calling out for your father as thunder clapped overhead. “Dad!!” you screamed, tears mixing with the salt water splashing around you. You eventually exhausted yourself and passed out, curled up alone on the raft.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I was eventually rescued the next morning,” you continued, “But when I told the coast guard that my father could still be out there, they told me they couldn’t find any trace of that boat.”

“Earlier today, Mammon told me that you claimed to see a boat on the water,” Lucifer pointed out, “Was that it?”

You nodded. “I remember those sails; I remember what she looked like,” you explained, “So when I saw her, I thought my father has finally come back.” Tears began to form but you quickly wiped them before they could fall. “But it couldn’t be for real, right? I know the boat was destroyed during that storm, but a part of me kept wishing that somewhere out there my father is still alive; just taking his time to return to me.”

You looked down at the tiny message bottle in your hands. “Since then, whenever I was at a beach I’d stand at the shore; stare out all night hoping to see those beautiful sails.” You forced yourself a smile, but almost immediately felt it turn into a frown. “And every night, I’d prepare a bottled message and send it out to the ocean, hoping he’d at least find one and learn I’m still waiting.”

Lucifer quietly walked closer and gently hugged you from behind. You couldn’t hold back anymore and let the tears out, sobbing and sniffling before falling to your knees; he didn’t miss a beat and fell with you, holding you tighter. “It’s alright, let it out...” he whispered, slowly turning you towards himself to comfort you.

“I’m sorry...” you whimpered, “I didn’t want you to see me like this...”

“You shouldn’t be bottling up your emotions,” he countered, stroking your back; assured you he doesn’t mind you crying into his chest. He stayed in that position until you calmed down; gently wiped away your tears. “Feeling better?” he asked.

You nodded; standing back up with him as you clutched the bottle to your chest. “Hey Dad...” you started, “Sorry I haven’t been around for a long time, but...I just needed space. I just hope my message reaches you, wherever you are.” You then stepped out further, the water lapping around your ankles as you crouched and released the bottle; watched it float away with the tide. “I just hope one day...” you continued, “We’d meet again – even if it’s in another life.”

As soon as the bottle disappeared into the horizon, you let Lucifer lead you back inside; allowed him to tuck you back into bed before retiring to his room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You’re all smiles again today,” Leviathan pointed out as you helped him cook breakfast, “Did something happen?”

You giggled and smiled. “Nothing for you to worry about,” you assured as you served up some french toast. “Well, at least you’re back to normal,” Mammon laughed as he poured himself some coffee, “Just don’t get us all worried again – especially me!”

“Must it always be about you?” Asmodeus chimed in, “But I agree – you’re looking much better today, MC.”

“I think we should have a barbecue lunch by the beach today,” Satan suggested, “The weather’s nice out and you don’t get this back in Devildom, so wouldn’t it be a waste if we don’t get to experience that?”

“I feel more like going for a swim,” Beelzebub agreed, “But sure, an outdoor barbecue will beat that any day.”

“You and your love of food...” Belphegor chuckled, “Keep at it and I may get as hungry as you!”

Lucifer nodded in agreement, but secretly still a bit concerned in regards to what happened last night. It was confirmed when you all then headed out and he caught you staring out at the ocean again...but this time with a smile.

Maybe this little beach vacation wouldn’t be so bad after all.