#Silhouette (Zsa Gardiner)

[fledgeling-heroes-r-us]

Informants

"There are many different types of demons out there, you know. To just name a few, there are demons of fate, such as Sirris, demons of lust, such as Dakara, and lesser demons, such as Rog'theth. Lesser demons are, essentially, completely useless." Silhouette nodded slowly and shifted in her chair. It was wicker, and plain, and worked well with the rest of the decor in the room. Overall, the place seemed surprisingly cosy for the home of a demon from the depths of hell, or wherever he actually came from. The entire room reeked of incense, from the unholy amount of burners currently going. Choker said it helped him concentrate. Silhouette believed he was trying to cover up something with the smell. If any of the people from Circle, Squad or Skylark knew she was there, talking to these men, she would be in huge trouble. Or maybe they would commend her for her quick thinking. It was a smart move, in her opinion, even if the boys had never allied themselves with good before. Choker frowned, seeming to rethink his last statement. "Well, actually, I suppose lesser demons can become very powerful indeed, if they manage to slay another demon, which in itself is immensely difficult for lesser demons. They're essentially bred as slave labour in the demon world. But if they are very lucky, and do manage to slay a stronger demon, they can tap into that demon's power if they seal his or her soul into an object. Preferably a wearable one." Silhouette frowned at that, eyes drawn to the black choker around the demon's throat. "Ah, hmm, but, if a demon slays a demon purely for power, especially a slave demon, then they tend to be punished pretty severely. Like, if a slave killed someone, they'd be exiled or imprisoned, and you'd better hope for exile because prisons for demons like that are pure torture. Literally. And if you get exiled, or you murder your own master, you're, uh, killed on sight if you ever enter the demon world again." She wondered if she should ask. After all, she'd encountered the demon and his brother enough times to know their power came from the clothing they wore. If he was actually divulging part of his own past here... Her thoughts were cut off when a large, leather-bound book was dropped on the table. The sound startled poor Silhouette, but Choker barely gave his brother a glance. It was Glove who spoke next. "What we can do to help you depends on what demon, exactly, you are troubled by, and what level they are at. For instance, while we could give you plenty of information about the Kings, we wouldn't be able to take them in a fight." "The Kings?" Silhouette repeated, confused. "A fanciful term for some exceedingly powerful demons. So powerful, in fact, that other demons feared them enough to help humans seal them away where they could cause no harm." He flicked the book open to a random page and perched on the arm of his brother's chair. "Anyway, tell us what you know about this demon, and we'll see what we know." Silhouette sucked a deep breath in through her teeth and tried to think. What had she heard from Amaryllis? What had she heard from Zhen? "It comes from Ethiopia, or at least, that's where Amaryllis and Glory Boy saw it." "And it's after them?" Choker asked. "It's got them. They...said something about a broken shroud or shrine? And Amaryllis said they needed to repair the shrine within a certain amount of time or the demon thing would own them or something. We're afraid that this thing is going to use them for something, and we also want to rescue them." "And you heroes needed our help. I'm touched, truly." Silhouette started twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "They don't know I'm here. Currently, Persephone, Lunetta, Shadow Weaver and Deadwalker are heading the official investigation, but as far as I know, they haven't had much success thus far." Glove flicked through the book, chewing his nail absently. "A shroud in Ethiopia, a demon who wants to own people...anything else?" "That...that's all I've been told." "Potentially Duiwel then." Choker shot up from his seat and grabbed the book. "Duiwel my arse. A demon like Duiwel would make himself known the moment he was set free. This planet would be a broken, lifeless dust rock if he were free." "We're familiar with his dimension, though." "If he's even brought your friends there." "Oh, yeah, there's a good chance he's on a killing spree, still in Ethiopa or the general continent, if it's Duiwel." "Though, if it's him, he should have branched out further by now." "Unless being sealed weakened him, and he's spent this long just recovering his strength." The boys slowly shut the book and turned to look at one another. They seemed to be in agreement about something. "You have dark times ahead of you." Choker said at last. "If your friends try chasing this demon to get their friends back, the ending will not be pleasant." "But if nothing is done," Glove argued in a level tone, "Duiwel may well destroy everything he touches. If he is free and gaining strength, everything he touches soon will be everything there is to touch." "So what should I do?" Asked Silhouette, before the twins could actually start an argument. To her dismay, both brothers shrugged, still looking at one another. After a little too long, she got to her feet with a sigh. "Well, thanks for the help, anyway." She turned to leave, when Choker grabbed her wrist. She glanced back to see him looking at her now. "Keep us updated on the discussions you have with your friends. We'll try and feed you as much information about Duiwel as we can, and we can try and trace him." "Though he may be able to trace us back, in which case we'll be in trouble." Glove pointed out. "But we'll do it anyway, for you. Since Choker has a crush on you and all." "I do not!" She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Thank you so much, boys. I'll, uh, try and keep you updated, and, oh! Maybe you could come along to the discussions. If you explain why you'd be a valuable asset in dealing with demons, and emphasise how much you want to help us, they'll probably welcome your contributions!" "Not happening." The twins said in unison as they ushered Silhouette to the door, slamming it shut behind her the moment she stepped out.