Will you not come for me? [open]

[Anonymous]

It was late afternoon, and the rays of golden light shone through the thick foliage, penetrating and coloring the ground in playful honey spots.  All about the forests, sounds from songbirds burst into the air: the cheerful chirp of a robin, the soft buzzing of a hummingbird, the sharp call of a jay.  The forest music was a light and joyous tune, quiet and simple while boisterous and complex all at once.  Somewhere in near the edge of the forest where the village of La'marri lay, there was a tree stump.  And upon the stump sat a young girl, or woman rather.  Her dark, midnight hair framed her figure, the pallor of her cream toned skin emphasized by it.  The woman wore a light olive colored tunic with lighter leggings; her small feet were clad in thin leather boots.  Legs crossed, the young woman had her eyes closed, apparently deep in meditation.

Vesper was becoming lost within the world.  She could feel each individual soul: the animals, the animals, the earth, the plants, and yet they were all part of one consistent entity.  Her magic concerned nature and communing with it, but it also concerned understanding the energy within her and learning how to harness that, as well.  At the moment, her focus remained with understanding the spirits around her, learning about their strange personalities, learning their forms of communication.  The afternoon wore on and Vesper continued her practice.  Such an activity was quite unusual for her, for she usually was a somewhat loud person and had a hard time quieting her mind.  Today, though, she was clearly making an effort.  A film of perspiration had formed on her brow over the day.  

Something seemed to poke her mind from some faraway corner, and Vesper's eyes were suddenly wide open.  Those pearly, silvery eyes moved up, gazing through the thick foliage, trying to see the skies.  They were dark, but it was not because it was night.  A storm was coming, and one of the spirits she had been communing with had warned her of it.  Vesper stretched, nimbly hopping off the stump.  "Time to go home," she said loudly to herself, her sweet alto voice holding a playful tone.  She made her way through the forest, recollecting her studies.  

Suddenly she stopped.  Something was different.  Something was wrong.  Before she could do anything, she saw a man approach her.  She had never seen him before, and her instincts told her to move away.  She immediately turned only to run straight into another man.  Panic.  They were speaking, but she couldn't understand.  She didn't hear them.  Her previously peaceful mind was now a jumbled mess.  She had never encountered anything like this, and none of her training had been to prepare her for a fight.  There were several men at least now, surrounding her, closing in.  One of them grabbed her arm as she tried to run through an opening.  Instinctually, Vesper's opposite elbow went up to meet his face as he drew her close to him.  The man released her, stumbling forward.  Here was her chance.  It was all open, now.  She started to run, but suddenly, there was a great pain on her back.  It began at her right shoulder , moving across her back diagonally; she could hear metal scratching bone as it passed her spine and finally ended at her left hip.  She screamed, the piercing sound tearing through the air.  

"Help!"  

Suddenly, it began to get cold, and the ground seemed to be getting closer.  Everything was suddenly happening so slowly.  As her head moved to the side, she caught site of the robin that had been singing earlier.  "Get help," she mumbled to the bird.  Just as she saw the bird fly away in response, she came into contact with the ground.  It began to rain suddenly.  She could hear the men approaching.  With a shudder, she fell unconscious, her last thought lingering on the question of whether she would die, as her blood began to pool around her.

[Lion]

"Oh people are so stupid!" Deimos complained to himself, obviously frustrated.  Though from afar it may have appeared that he was talking to himself, they would've never expected that the ghost-like cape that flowed along his back like black smoke was the other that was really listening.  He groaned with severity, a grimace planted firmly on his face as several small animals made way for him.  "I don't understand how an entire race of idiots could have survived for this long.  When I get back to Etheros, I'm going to have the whole lot of them wiped out.  Shut up, I know I have to break through the Hellgate first!  I've been stuck on this godforsaken earth for the last three centuries.  Don't you think I don't know that!?"

The cloak that clung to him, that provided the manifestation of his shadow, merely hissed in response.  But his face screwed further in displeasure at the answer he received in his head.  "Enyx, sometimes I don't know why you stay around me."  Shaking his head, the figure of Deimos moved further through the Niahi Woods.  There was no real specific reason why he chose to wander into this forest except that maybe he just needed a place to cool off his temper.  Another may be that he could use the rejuvenating energies being in a land of magic would give him.  Maybe then he would find a way to break through to Oblivion.  Whichever the case, he was in a bad mood and a demon in a bad moon was never a pretty sight.

Along his walk, thoughts scrambling in his mind and his red-orange eyes flaring occasionally at the capacity of certain ideas that may or may not have included lots of bloodshed and screaming, Deimos was almost too preoccupied to have heard the scream that ripped through the air.  The sound crashed through his thought barrier like a horse might through a greenhouse and immediately he perked up, screwing his face in confusion and curiosity.  Help?  Hm, I wonder what this might be all about.  Though he didn't rush into the fray like a madman, he did pivot on his heel and start off in that direction.

The closer he got the sound of a great clamor became audible and he heard the voices of men going off at each other.  There was a quick scrambling before he heard someone say, "Shit!  Somebody's coming.  Let's get out of here!"  and another reply, "What about the body?  Oh, crap, just leave it!  Let's go."  Then the retreating footsteps followed the voices in the direction opposite of Deimos' approach.

The demon's footsteps grew quicker and soon he broke through the brush to see a woman's body flailed across the ground and a large slash present on her back.  Peering down at the body, pity burned in his eyes and he shook his head.  Kneeling down, he examined the gouge.  "Still fresh," he muttered.  "And deep.  What a waste.  No class, no art."  He was used to seeing bodies.  Back in his home realm slaughter was something that was quite common and with demons constantly vying for power, something that was resorted to quite often.  And that was one thing that he missed.  Here, there wasn't any sort of design to killing, no sense of torture; nothing was executed with any eye for detail.  To him, humans were nothing more than barbarians, the lot of them.

He expected the execution of the wound to have been swift.  But what he didn't expect was to feel the amount of magic that leaked off of her like smoke off of dry ice.  "My, my, what do we have here..." he breathed, clearly fascinated with this finding.  "The wound's deep but fresh.  There may be a chance to save her yet."

Picking up the body by the shoulder, he slumped it up and put his hands in the wound.  He held her against him, his fingers fiddling with the cut and a few mutterings later, the bleeding began to stop.  He felt along the inside using his mind to close the wound and, with luck, restore consciousness back to the lifeless body.  When his work was finished, he let her body fall to the ground and gazed at the gruesomely closed slash.  "Awaken," he commanded.

[Anonymous]

Vesper was floating about in darkness; everything seemed distant, quiet, peaceful.  She had no recollection of what had just happened to her material body.  She felt weary, incredible so, and began to drift toward another consciousness that was some distance ahead.  At first, she did not realize what this was, and continued to make her way toward it.  Suddenly, the sound of sweet music filled her ears, and she knew that the end was near.  What a lovely sound it was, too.  She didn't want it to end now, but at this point, she could not resist the sweetness of the otherworld.  There was a light forming, now, and as she drew closer, the light grew stronger, seeming to beckon to her.  There was a peaceful smile on her now transparent face as she accepted the end.  Suddenly, from the darkness, a figure formed and turned around on her.  Vesper recoiled, frightened by the dark, eyeless face.  "Not your time!"  The voice was hollow, commanding, frightening.  She suddenly felt that she was falling and gasped as she was thrown back into her material body.  

She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes still closed, at the command of the demon.   She sighed, then, her breath suddenly calm.  Somewhere she felt a pain; it was faint, but still alarming.  A soft whimper escaped her lips before she attempted to open her eyes.  It was with great effort that the lids finally lifted.  It was cold, now, still raining as gently as it had when she had fallen unconscious.  With a small grunt, she used her hands to push her torso off the ground so that she could sit up.  Her head felt heavy.  She put a hand up to her brow, cradling it.  She allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness, for the sun was no longer there to offer warmth and light to the land.

She paused, her breath caught, as she realized suddenly that she was no longer bleeding.  Confused, she reached her arm around her and touched her skin where the fabric of her tunic had been ripped.  The wound was closed, but there she could feel a scar.  Her and lingered over it for a moment before she realized that she was also not alone.  It was hard to see this other figure, but she could tell there was someone there by the way the dark textures of the forest stopped and a shadow began.  She followed the figure up until what she figured were the eyes.  The young woman blinked a couple times.

Alarmed, she shuffled back, her silver eyes never leaving the figure.  Her midnight waves mirrored her alarm, dancing wildly about the frame of her face as she moved back.  She was in control of her mind, now, though, and began to draw what energy she had left to the inside of her chest, where she would keep it stored just in case she would have to defend herself.  If she was going to defend herself this time, she wanted to do it right.  She didn't understand how she made it with a closed wound out of the previous situation, but this was no reason to let her guard down.  She realized that she had been holding her breath and released it.

"Who are you?  What do you want?" she demanded, her alto tones clicking sharply on the night air.  With an effort, still keeping her energy store in place, she brought herself to her feet.  She saw now that the figure was significantly taller than she.  She could make out some of his features.  He was pale, and seemed well built.  She could see his eyes, and she felt extremely unnerved.  She found that she could not hold the eye contact and had to look away, but she was determined to hold her ground, although the fear threatened to overcome her.  She was glad that her clothes were still intact, or she would have felt significantly more vulnerable than she already did at this point in time.  

Was this someone who had helped her?  Did the bird bring him to her?  She wasn't sure of the answers.  All she knew was that she had her magic if she needed to defend herself.  She hoped that she did not have to.

[Lion]

Deimos breathed in significantly, loving the smell of power in the air.  Oh if he could just harness it, there wouldn't be anything he couldn't do.  Her magic drew him in and tingled his desire to grasp it.  She had strength in her; he could feel it and it made his skin ache.  Maybe, with the proper manipulations, she could be of use to him.

His visage remained stoic as he watched her form stir.  He heard her breathe and slowly she rose, struggling to sit up.  He might have helped but it would be interesting for him to see her struggle.  A lot could be said about a person in how they handled stress and fought for survival.  Some creatures did the most interesting things, resorting to mundane activities like thievery and murder.  Others were creative in their methods of survival.  In either case, Deimos took great joy in seeing others suffer.  It taught him much about the world around him...and convinced him of how useless they all were.

But anything that might be of use to him, any person that could help him, he would be keen to observe them and see just how useful they would be.  In his time here on the earth, he'd learned much and there were times where the feelings of homesickness grew steadily in his stomach.  Anything that might help him, he would use.  But in the meantime, while he was wasting away in boredom, he would just have to bide his time.  And until then, he found something to occupy his mind and it was rather amusing that she shuffled away once her strength came to her.

She wasn't bad to look at, this person who he saved.  The midnight of her hair framed her face nicely and the silver of her eyes were momentarily locked to his.  Bold, he thought. Stupid, but bold.  But soon her bravery left her when she was forced to look away.  Smarter, now.  Deimos towered over her, peering down before grinning wryly and quirking a brow.  He waited a moment before deciding to answer her question.  When she spoke, her impudence caused him to harden his jaw and the smile quickly faded.  Replacing it was a nasty grimace and eyes that burned with annoyance.  He could smell the fear lurking in her and frankly, it was even better than her magic.

It was nice to be feared and this inadvertent stroking of his ego softened his face.  "Who am I?" he began, mimicking her question.  "I am the one who just saved you're life.  And that is no way to be talking to me.  You wouldn't want to make me angry.  If you must know, you'll do well to call me Deimos.  Now if you were smart, you'll tell me your name."

[Anonymous]

Somewhere, the soft call of a tree frog sounded in the darkness.  Be weary, it warned her.  A subtle shiver moved over her body.  The warning from the frog did not do much to ease her spirits.  In the darkness, she could make out his facial features, and he did not seem pleased at all with her inquiries.  In hindsight, she realized that she had indeed been incredible rude.  But fear, obviously, made her unable to act in a logical manner.  She could see him grimacing at her, and her discomfort became even greater than it had already been.  She ventured another look at him, trying to figure out more about him.  Vesper could usually learn a lot about a person from looking at them.  But she was having difficulties here... for obvious reasons.  She shifted her weight to try and release some of the tension.  She had relaxed a little because she could sense that an attack was not near.  Her stored energy began to be utilized to restore energy into her body.  She could feel the tingly movements as it spread over her, a warm feeling against the cold exterior of her somewhat wet skin.  The rain was turning into a faint drizzle.  Perhaps it would end soon.  She hoped it would end soon.

She met his eyes for another split second before looking away again.  Why do I keep doing that? she wondered.  Each time she did,  she felt as if she were accidentally staring down a wolf, and that was never a good thing to do.  Nothing liked to be challenged.  She had never felt this in another person though; she wondered what he was, but was too afraid to pursue the question.  She hated this constant state of fear that she was in, and tried to summon her energy in order to calm herself.  She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her emotions and sending a wave of calm energy, releasing the tension within through an exhale.  She opened her eyes again as he finally spoke.  He seemed pleased to be addressed... or perhaps to be announcing himself...  

He was the one who saved her life, he told her. She gasped, then, and not because of the fact that he had saved her life, but because she suddenly remembered that she had been so close to death.  That thought overwhelmed her so much that she felt as if her chest would explode.  Her hand reached for her chest, and she held herself for a moment, remembering.  "Yes..."she whispered to herself, her eyes searching the ground as if she were looking for something there.   He was displeased with the way she had addressed him earlier, but she had known that before he had said it aloud.  

"Yes, of course.  Forgive me... I did not know."  Her voice was soft, as if she were having trouble focusing on realty.  The weight of what happened had finally hit her.  Before it had merely seemed like a faint memory.  She was horrified that anything like that had happened, glad that he had been there to save her.  She had not wanted to die...  "Deimos?" she repeated his name.  "Thank you.  My name is Vesper.  Whatever I can do to repay this great debt, please, allow me to do so.  I have not much to offer, but what I can I will do."

[Anonymous]

[OOC: I'm not going to be there yet, but I will in a little bit.  Got to run through the forest first.]

Hachen was sitting under a tree at the edge of La' Marri talking to some old friends because he was back to visit his hometown when suddenly an exhausted bird crash landed right in front of him.  He jumped back in surprise but leaned closer as the bird slowly got to its feet.  His friends moved around to see the bird and when it was up it started to tweet, trying to tell them something.  Turning to Hachen his friends asked him what the bird said, he shrugged, "I knew I should have learned that animal talking spell."

Hachen scooped up the bird and put him on his shoulder.  "Pig, Allonsy!" Pig ran to him from the town and Hachen looked to his friends, "I'll be back, I've got a hunch I'm on to something big."  With that he ran into the forest with his pig and the bird motioned where to go with its wings where to go to find Vesper.  Hachen didn't know what was happening but he knew someone had to be in danger if they sent a bird to get help.

[Lion]

There was really only one explanation for why he saved her life and it certainly wasn't because he was benevolent.  As a matter of fact, he could really care less.  The life of another was insignificant to him and anyone who knew him well, which was virtually no one save his family and Enyx, would be keen to describe him as 'definitely not the heroic type.'  And there were few times in his life where he actually ever did anything for anybody else...if it didn't help him in some way.  His act of fortuitous heroism was merely because he was beginning to formulate plans for this young woman, even if she didn't agree to them.  He had his ways of turning to the tables in his favor.

"Good," he said with a nod.  "I'm glad we've come to an understanding.  Divinities forbid you do something stupid while you're in my presence."  He observed her ponder for a moment and taking a short while to introduce herself.  She called herself Vesper, a curious name and he wondered a little about it.  It didn't seem human and she certainly didn't look the part.  He didn't know what it was but considered maybe it was her ears that gave it away.  They were long and pointed.  She was part Elf, perhaps?  If so, then there was more power stored in her that he'd previously thought.

The faint drizzle coming down was soft on him and did little to drench the blackness of his clothing.  The red sash wrapped around his waist flowed in a sudden gust of wind and would've sent shivers down a normal person's spine but not Deimos.  He was accustomed to the cold and more so the heat...considering just where he was from.  Despite his taste for refinement, he was an adaptable person who could adjust easily with the changes of his environment.

But what she said next caught his interest.  Whatever she could do?  Oh there were lots of things he could think of that might satisfy this debt but one should be careful when making deals with demons.  Such things were binding and often their consequences were dangerous on the mortal's part.  He loved it when people said things like that; it allowed him to unleash his creativity.  "Not much, eh?" he said, his eyes softening but remaining unmoved from her.  "Oh, I wouldn't say.  From the looks of it, you have a lot more than you think."  His eyes swept over her.  He gave the impression that he meant her body, but of course, he couldn't just say that he wanted her magic out loud, now could he?  Then he looked up at the sky and regarded the weather with a nonchalant hand, manipulating the atmosphere inconspicuously.

"I'm sure that I can think of something that will be agreeable to the both of us."  He tilted his head curiously to the side, narrowing his eyes.  "Tell me, Vesper, what were those men doing here?  You were alone, I suspect?"

[Anonymous]

He appeared momentarily appeased when she apologized for her previously rude behavior.  That was good.  For now, at least, she wouldn't have to worry too much about having to avoid any of his temper.  He never said why, but he continuously pointed out to her that she would be wise not to make him angry or act foolishly.  She took this time to study his appearance.  Everything about him was pale, from the complexion of his skin to his somewhat long hair.  The dark, intense colors he wore in his attire both contrasted against his pallor, but complemented the fiery hues of his eyes.  She wondered what he was, but she kept feeling that it would be rude of her to ask.  Curiosity often killed the cat after all... but then again, she was like a cat.  The warning of the frog echoed in the back of her mind, and she was suddenly cautious again.

There was a sudden gust of wind, the red shash leaping out of its folds as if to accentuate the danger in her savior.  Vesper shivered and rubbed her arms to both warm them and to get some of the water droplets off.  She wished that they would move out of the weather.  It was getting the better of her.  She wondered if he lived somewhere in the forest, or if perhaps she should offer for them to move to her house... but she thought better of it.  She didn't want to be seen in town with him; she wasn't sure why she suddenly felt this why, but she did.  She could live through the cold.

Deimos appeared to like the idea of her repaying him.  She looked away, her face coloring deeply at his words, thinking that he had referred to her body when he had said she had more than she thought.  She wasn't sure what do to now.  She had offered to do whatever she could.  She was sure that he would not ask for anything... unreasonable... she hoped that she was sure.  She was glad for the change of subject, and began to speak, although she had little to say concerning the previous situation with the men.

"Honestly, I don't know what those men were doing.  I had been meditating and... trying to learn how to control my mind and my Self, so I was deep in thought, unaware."  Vesper paused.  "All I remember was seeing them come out from behind the trees.  I don't know what they wanted with me.  Maybe they just wanted a kill... whatever it was, they were planning to be quick about it."  That was all she could tell  him.  She suddenly felt embarrassed about this fact, and naïve because of it.  What did she know of such matters?  She never thought of the possibility of going out and getting killed.  She looked up at him, asking her next question through pure impulse.

"What are you?" Her voice was very quiet, as if she had really meant to keep it to herself.  And perhaps she had.  The moment the words escaped her lips, she regretted it.  But she couldn't take it back now.  Way to go, Vesper, she scolded herself.

[Lion]

She was a curious one, surely and spurred his interest all the more.  Not so much in how he could make her useful to him, but more in the where-she-came-from department.  She looking increasingly elfish the more he examined her and he had not looked her over further, he would have easily mistaken her for one.  For one of his years and experience "negotiating" with other peoples of different races, he couldn't tell what she was at all.  Nothing more than to tell that she was a being with something great locked away inside her.  It was this curiosity that softened him further and lessoned the chances that he might attack her.  In all honesty, he wasn't in that mood anymore, but now in one more fit of being with a companion.  In a sense, he was going to be nice to her.

Deimos took a few steps around her, observing her tunic that was tattered by the blade.  The blood on his hands now, that he got when mending her wound, was now washing away.  He listened to her story with keen ears, clinging and analyzing each word with deepening intrigue.  When she was finished he chuckled slightly and shook his head in slight disappointment.  "Even when meditating you should never leave you're guard down.  You quiver in fear because I am unknown to you yet even I can tell you're not afraid to put up a fight.  I can smell the intent.  But take heed and let that be a lesson to you.

"I think those men wanted something more than a kill from you.  From what I know, men never preoccupy themselves with a woman unless they want pleasure in some way; they may have wanted to rape you.  Whatever the case, you were wounded severely when I found you.  Just consider yourself lucky that I was around to keep you from the great beyond."  Deimos raised his chin a bit condescendingly and let his words simmer.  Back home, he was a respected speaker and others knew when to keep silent when he entered a room.  Here, he knew he would be a great statesman.  Too bad back home, demons cared nothing for politics.

It was wont of him to expect the unexpected, to be prepared for anything.  Whether it was be thrown into another realm or thrown out of town, he knew that behavior was always monitored by others.  Nothing could surprise him.  Well, at least not until he heard her next question.  What was he?  The way she asked it was rather amusing and it caused him to smile and laugh all the same.

"You're bold, Vesper.  I like that.  If you really must know, I am a demon; demigod of Shadow of the hell realm Etheros.  A demon you are now in debt to."  Deimos grinned once more and felt his eyes flash in a spark of flame.  "I sense great potential in you.  Would you mind telling me what you are?"

[Anonymous]

After a time of taking guidance into Niahi Woods Hachen finally came upon a clearing in the forest where a man and woman were talking.  She looked a bit frightened and the man, frightening.  When he arrived he heard the Deimon annouce who, and what he was.  In debt to him, Hachen thought, That can't be good.  

Hachen jumped out of the bushes and it must have been the strangest sight to see.  A man with a bird on his shoulder, a pig at his side, and holding what seemed to be just a twig pointed at Deimos.  The bird tweeted angrily at Deimos not knowing what had happened since it left.  "I am a human, and whatever she is, it won't be in debt to you."  Hachen said trying to sound heroic.

[Anonymous]

Deimos' mood continued to remain constant, and so she worried less.  What made her the most uncomfortable, though, was that his presence caused her to act a little less like her usual boisterous and playful self and more like the way her mother had always told her she should be.  She was suddenly acting responsibly, perhaps even adult like.  But then again, she didn't exactly know what that meant either.  Her parents had died when she was fifteen summers old, and so she only had her memories to go off of.  This was mostly likely the reason for her naivety.  She had always felt that she needed to work things out on her own, and so had not sought help when she was suddenly alone in the world.  She didn't mind being alone, or at least that's what she told herself.  Now that she thought of it, she was probably compensating for being alone by being a louder and more playful person.  So what was she seeing in herself in this situation...?  

He drew nearer and stepped around her.  She felt uncomfortable again, like she was being sized up.  Why am I uncomfortable?  That's nothing to be uncomfortabale about, she told herself.  That helped a bit.  She looked down and observed herself for the first time, and realized that she was more covered in blood than she had thought.  Blood and dirt.  She wondered what her face looked like, if it had blood and dirt smears on it.  Maybe the rain had washed it away.  She tried not to inhale the scent of her clothes, for she hated that metallic texture in the scent of blood, and there was a lot on her, or there was at least.  "I guess I just never thought that something like that would happen," she replied thoughtfully, her silver eyes gazing up at the sky.  "And I suppose that is the reason why all this has happened."    She wondered how he knew, how he knew that she was so afraid, and yet prepared for the defense.   She said nothing, watching him silently, her head tilting to one side as if she were trying to see some sort of hidden symbol in a painting.

"Rape?" she repeated, disgust coloring her alto tone.  "Then I am glad it all happened t he way it did.  I think I would have definitely rather been dead."  She sighed.  "I do consider myself to be lucky though, and I am thankful that you did what you did, Deimos."  She wore a somber expression upon her face, however, although she did not altogether understand why.  She sighed again, reaching back to feel the scar.  It would forever remind her of her naivety and what it could have cost her.

He did not seem angered by her question concerning his race, and Vesper was relieved.  Yet, she was shocked by his response.  "A demon?"  What did that mean?  She didn't know...  Now that she was indebted to him, what would happen?  What was the reason for his interest in her?  She looked at him with widened silver orbs.  What power could he wield?  Once again she felt a powerlessness.  But she reminded herself that she should not be so quick to judge.  That had always been her philosophy.  She told herself not to abandon it now.  Whatever she had left of her innocence it was who she was...

"Me?" She paused.  "I never took the time to know..."  She appeared suddenly concerned.  Her slender fingers reached up to run along the length of her pointed ears.  Her parents had never made a point to tell her, and for some reason it had never mattered to her.  "I don't even know what I am," she said suddenly, shocked at herself.  Uncharacteristically, her shoulders slumped, for she was suddenly disappointed.  "But does that even matter?" she suddenly asked herself aloud.  "I don't know...  So many things at once," she groaned.  She looked up at him.

"Well, it's getting quite late;  maybe we should get some rest before we do anything else... that is, if you rest."  Suddenly, another man popped out of the trees.  Vesper jumped, slightly afraid and remembering the previous events of the evening.  But he didn't seem to be posing any threat, in fact, he seemed to want to get her away from Deimos.  No point now... she had already made herself to be his until she could repay him for what he had done for her.

[Lion]

Deimos didn't expect much of a reaction out of her when he told her what he was a demon.  Of late, a lot of people considered that to be a very normal situation and didn't ask many questions beyond that.  He didn't know what it was exactly that may have caused this but he considered it might be the fact that just hearing the word demon was enough to make the hair on the back of their necks stand up.  And he couldn't blame them; he was a scary fellow when he wanted to be and frankly, scaring people put a smile on his face.  It showed that he still had the touch.  But again she managed to surprise him once when her face screwed into a puzzled expression.  He responded only with a nod and he regarded her with a raised brow.

When he was closer to her now, the scent of her energy was far greater nor and it tickled his appetite.  If he wasn't so reserved at the moment, he might have been drooling as if he hadn't eaten in ages.  Which wouldn't really be a problem, since he didn't eat a lot anyway.  The point was her magic came off of her like overflowing water; she would need to control it if she wanted to prevent more creatures from looking to gather it.  He heard somewhere from some beggar that there were some animals that lived off the energy of uncultivated magic and sucked the life right out of the person that gave off a lot.  He didn't know where such a beast could be found, but he didn't want to find one anyway.

Deimos listened to her muse about her origins and the great confusion it seemed to cause her.  So she didn't know.  Well, maybe it was all for the best.  This inadvertently triggered a small part of him to consider feeling sorry for her.  It was always sad to not know what you were.  It often led others to want to go after you, to discover you're true strengths and weaknesses.  And it was never a good thing to not know your own strengths and weakness; this gave an enemy an unfair advantage.  Not that she couldn't take care of herself; from the amount of potential he sensed in her, she could be quite a force with the proper training.  And he just might giver that training in return for access for her power.  First, he saved her life...and now he finally decided what he wanted her to do...

"Of course, I rest.  I'm getting rather exhausted myself.   Take me to you're town, I'm rather curious as to what sort of civilization is nearby.  And regarding you're debt...we have much to discuss."  Deimos let a grin settle on his face until something, or rather someone, burst through the brush and had the nerve to exclaim something to him...  The demigod merely stared at him for a long minute, unconcerned and unimpressed, before turning back to Vesper and saying, "Shall we get going?"

[Yes, Deimos is not very nice. I'm sorry]

[Anonymous]

Vesper did not understand much about Deimos, and this was a bit unnerving, considering that the frog had warned her... about what?  Yes, she knew that he was a demon, but... as of that moment, he was no threat to her.  Therefore, she felt that for now she had nothing to worry about.  It was not that she let her guard down, it was merely that she was allowing herself to relax a bit.  He was nonetheless an extremely intimidating entity, even more so because she did not understand his personality.  She wondered if she ever would.  Although indeed frightened by him, she was also curious to know more about him.  She had never met a demon before, and she realized that that was only for the better.  She did not know anything about demons... she hoped that this would not cause this all to end in a giant problem.

Of course; of course he rested.  Vesper immediately felt embarrassed.  She was feeling this a lot today, it seemed. I suppose that's what happens when you're so naïve about everything, she thought to herself.  She chuckled nervously, nodding in response.  "Just making sure," she mumbled clumsily.  He said that he wanted to go into town... Oh no... she thought to herself.  She looked absently up at the dark foliage which blocked the view of the cloudy night sky.  Well, at least it's nighttime.  It couldn't hurt.  "Alright.  It's a small town, and a lot of the people who live there come to study magic.  I myself have grown up there."  She didn't know why she was telling him that... it wasn't even an interesting story.

Deimos entirely disregaurded the man who came, accompanied by the robin the had asked to get help.  The robin was clearly alarmed.  Mimicking the sounds of the robin perfectly, Vesper whistled, telling the robin not to worry and that she would be alright.  The bird seemed doubtful, but calmed down and fell silent.  Being able to understand and speak to animals was one of the aspects of her ability that she enjoyed.  Right now, she merely felt apologetic to the poor bird.  Deimos turned to her, meaning to get going.  Vesper nodded, looking to the man.  She knew him from town, but did not know his name.  "I'm sorry," she said.  That was all.  She was obligated to her current duties to Deimos.  She always kept her word, no matter what.  This was no exception.  Demon or not, she was keeping her word.

She led Deimos silently out of the forest, making her way to the town of La'marri.  They would not have to walk too far in to the village, for she actually lived quite close to the edge of it.  Her parents had wanted to be closest to the forest without leaving the perimeters of the town.  Once out of the forest, she could see that the clouds had moved on a bit and she could see the faint sliver of the waxing moon.  It was still young, and did not light up the lands at all.  It was very dark, but Vesper did not need to be able to see in order to get back home.  She knew the way.  She suddenly realized how cold and tired she was.  She suppressed a yawn, sighing instead.

Once they reached her house, it was one of the first houses they came across, she unlocked the door with a murmur of a spell and allowed Deimos to enter first.  It was a modest  house, consisting of only a single floor.  To the right of the doorway was a kitchen, to the left was the fireplace and a sofa.  Beside the fireplace was a shelf of books, all for leisure reading.  Towards the back of the house was a bedroom, a bathroom, and a room in which there were no windows but she often used for the studying and practicing of magic.  It was cluttered, and there was a strong residue of her magic that lingered on the various objects within.  She closed the door behind her once they were both inside and stood there awkwardly, using simple magical skills to light the candles so that she could see.  "Umm... you can rest in the bedroom; I can sleep out here," she said softly but still awkwardly, nodding to the sofa near the dark silent fireplace.  "We can discuss things in the morning."  She allowed herself  to yawn then, though she smothered it on the back of her hand.

[Lion]

It was an interruption nothing more and not even something that could be considered a minor setback.  When he had his mind set, nothing could divert the demigod from accomplishing his goals.  The task of which he set before him, of which he would be able to gain substantially from her potential, was so simple he felt like he should've smacked himself for not having thought of it earlier.  Of course the only way to harness magic was to control it and if he could teach her to controls through methods he could manipulate, then he could tap into her as a source.  Perhaps with this extra boost of power, he might be able to break through to Oblivion.  That was really all he wanted and, as of now, had no concern for her life.  What he planned to do, from what he considered through severe planning, wouldn't do any harm to her whatsoever.  If he wanted to kill her, he would've just let her die in the forest like any other reasonable person.

And as of now, he had no intention of hurting her.  Of course, he would chastise her if she was being stupid.  There would be no foolishness in his presence...except his own, wherein the fault would go to him.  In any other case, those that not do as he instructed or fumbled based on some meaningless reason would be punished without a moment's notice.  There was no room for failure where he came from and he carried this lesson with him in every step he took.

And it was with great strides that Deimos followed Vesper out of the forest to her house.  He could feel the power pulsating from his land and it goaded him to crave it.  He had his own power true, an inner strength that burned hotter than any night fire, but if there was something that might serve him, something that could get him back home, he would gladly use it.  There were matters far beyond him that needed looking into, most of which concerned were familial and involved the words 'sisters', 'father', and 'kill' all in the same sentence.  Nobody could kill an Etherian god, but demons from his realm were incredibly resourceful.

Soon they were out of the woods and into some sort of civilization.  There was a house nearby, of which he suspected to be hers.  The drizzle had calmed some and the graying clouds had tightened some lest they let a heavy tear stain the earth below them.  Night had just fallen and that thought was enough to make Deimos smile in satisfaction.  Nighttime was his time and when his powers strengthen far beyond their normal means.

When they approached the house, Vesper abruptly unlocked and open the door and allowed him to enter first.  He obliged and that gave him to survey the house for himself.  It was modest in size and decoration, telling him much about Vesper as a person.  There was a particular corner that drew him though he couldn't tell what it was.  Turning to Vesper herself after contemplating for a moment, he said with a curious gleam in his eyes, "In the morning?  Very well."  He looked around once more.  "I think you should have your room.  This is your place after all, establish it so, and I'll stay out here.  Would you mind if I have a look about the place, first?  I usually like to peruse my surroundings before I sleep.  A habit of mine."

[Anonymous]

She was glad that he agreed to wait until morning.  After all that had happened, she was exhausted.  She hadn't known this before, but she had been running on the adrenaline of the moment.  Now, however, the hormone was wearing off and she felt as if she had just trekked around the entire continent.  Deimos told her that she should sleep in her own room.  "Very well." She nodded.  "You may do what pleases you.  I will leave you to yourself now; I need to get out of this horrid clothes," she said, motioning to herself.  With a slight bow of the head, she turned, making her way toward her room.  

She withdrew her sleeping garment from her dresser.  It was plain and unremarkable, and it was the color of pink rose petals.  Grabbing that, she took it with her into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.  She turned the water on so that it would have the change to warm up while she prepared herself.  She needed to warm her body up.  Peeling away the wet and bloody clothes, she let them plop onto the floor.  It was nice to finally get them off. There was a full length mirror of the back of the door and she took this time to turn and examine her back.  She held up her hair with her hands and spun around.  She shuddered.  

Once the tub was filled with warm water, she slipped in carefully.  To her, the water felt scorching hot, but she knew that that would wear off once she acclimated herself to the temperature of the water and warmed herself up.  She sighed as she lay there for a moment, letting her body relax in the calm waters of her bath.   What a day...  She still couldn't believe that all this was happening, so she allowed herself to act like she was still in a dream.  In dreams, nothing could shock you, for anything could happen in a dream.  This was how she was reacting to all the things that had happened tonight so far.  She took care to clean herself off, and wash all the dirt and blood away from her body and hair before stepping out, draining the tub, and putting a bit of lotion on.  Her skin became dry easily, and she found that if she put the lotion on at night, it would keep her for a long amount of time.  Throwing the nightgown over her head, she exited the bathroom and made her way straight to her room.

She let the lights all over the house dim, assuming that it would not bother Deimos if she saved her candle wax.  She set a magical timer on it the candles for them to go out in about an hour and a half.  That should be enough time.  Vesper nodded a bit noisily, perhaps forgetting for a moment that anyone else could be listening.  She groggily entered her room, and fell onto her bed.  She sighed.  Rest would feel so good.  She shifted about on the mattress, finding the best position in which she could fall asleep, then pulled her covers over her and closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep despite her great exhaustion.  It would all just wait until morning.

[Lion]

Deimos could wait.  It wasn't like tomorrow would make his sentence of banishment any shorter.  If he could wait a thousand years on this pitiful realm, dealing with humans and other various fools thinking they were demon hunters, then he could wait until morning to discuss his plans for her.  For now, while she busied herself with sleep, he would use this chance to browse around and see just what kind of person Vesper really was.  He noticed that she had a bookcase and that would be the first point in his investigation of her.  He would see what interested her, what she liked to learn and maybe she would find his proposition suitable enough.

Nodding in response when she left and lingered on her last words, briefly wondering of what she might look like without clothes on.  Ah!  There are more important things to worry about!  Deimos shook his head of sullen thoughts and took his time in taking steps around the room she left him in.  First he wandered into the kitchen, listening with sharp ears as the water was turned on across the household.  Looking around at the various foods she had stashed away in small cabinets.  The lights flickered along the wall, giving him sufficient light in which to see.  Albeit, for someone of his power, he didn't really need light to see.  The night, no matter how pitch black, would always make way for him and oblige him as commanded.

His footsteps were quiet when they made their way to the bookshelf beside the fireplace.  He glanced about first, careful not to stir anything else that might be sleeping in the household save herself.  From the sound of it, she was probably already in bed by this point as he taken quite a time moving from the kitchen to the living room.  Though the house was small and the objects within were few, he wanted to be sure he placed in his memory every detail within these walls; he might need them later.

As he walked around, he could the smell the faint traces of magic within and he followed it like a bloodhound on a mark.  He lingered by the bookshelf, long and pale fingers grazing along the various titles he found there.  "Interesting," he whispered lightly when his eyes stopped on a copy of a book entitled A World Beyond.  Picking it up, he flipped through the non-fiction texts, as he figured to be the genre, and smiled in amusement as he saw fairly draw pictures of monsters and words that attempted to explain them.

Well, that was interesting.  And again he followed the scent of magic, letting it take him to the rooms.  His heart resonated quite loudly in his ears all the while he grew anxious the closer he got to the particular room he sought.  His breath now was heavy when he finally reached the room that was nigh drowned in her magical presence.  Some of it was faint and fairly fresh on other objects in the room.  This was where he was looking to be.  Considering her to be deep in sleep now, Deimos crept as quietly as he could through out it, perusing her books within.  Now these titles were quite different than the ones by the fireplace and nothing that he would consider light readings.  These books were ones of exploratory magic and things that most people would never think of dawdling on.  A twisted smile crept on his thin lips.  Oh, she was a curious thing she was and for now, it seemed his plan would work out perfectly.

And it was as if being in the room was enough to put him in a high.  He staggered around, almost dazed by the intoxicating traces of magic in the room.  It was light and he followed its trail once again.  This time...to her room.  His feet felt weightless along the floor and he steadily opened the door.  Inside he crept, and looked up as she slept.  It was all suddenly surreal as he dragged himself to her bedside.  And a hunger burned in his eyes, red-orange eyes flashing down at her.

[Anonymous]

Sleep was peaceful.  It took her to a place much unlike the world she had just left.  Here, the sun was beating upon her flesh, but it was a pleasant sensation.  All memory of the material world gone, Vesper rejoiced in the peace of Nature.  She was in a large meadow, someplace where the grass was green and sweet.  Tiger swallowtails fluttered about as the bees buzzed from flower to flower, ignoring the fact that there was a person present.  Frolicking about like a newborn fawn, Vesper pranced about the paradise, her feet leaving the grass uncrushed, undisturbed as she moved about.  Her dress matched the color of the grass and the foliage of the surrounding forest, hugging her form and reinforced around her waist with a golden hued belt.  Here, she was truly happy.  She sung a gentle tune to herself in a language she did not know, yet in this dream, all were known to her.

Fluidly, the scenery changed, and she was suddenly in the middle of a very deep, clear body of water.  It could have been a lake, or a slow moving river.  She looked down and could see her feet as the moved, keeping her afloat.  In contrast to the sun in the meadow, the water was cool and moved smoothly across her pale skin.  She realized that now she was nude, but she felt no shame.  She sensed something approaching, and looked behind her.  A great sea serpent rose out of the water, its scales glittering a cool dark blue, much like the color of her hair.  For some reason, she was not afraid.  She gazed up at it.

"Hello, Vesper," the dragon's voice boomed down, a deep baritone.  Suddenly, she felt that she remembered him, had met him in another encounter.  Perhaps another dream.  "Hello, Dragon," she said in response, her voice cheerful, ringing like silver bells.  The dragon gazed down at her, and she returned it, gazing into his black eyes.  For a long time, no one said anything.  Vesper's legs continued to move fluidly to keep her afloat.   And then she remembered.  

"I need to find a bottle," she burst out, excited that she had remembered.
"A bottle?"
"Yes, it is filled with blue goldstone."

At once, they began to look around.   Vesper took long strokes, swimming about the water.  They looked for a long time, and found nothing.  Exhausted, Vesper fell to her back and floated on her back.  And then she spotted it.  There... in the air.  She lifted her arm, pointing one long finger.  "There!"  The dragon followed her finger until he, too, saw it.  The dragon slithered toward her, the water slipping passed his dark scales.

"You can ride me."
"Are you sure?" She seemed reluctant for some reason.

The Dragon nodded, and assured, she swam over and climbed onto his body, resting herself several feet behind his head.  Suddenly, her rose from the water, floating in the air, seemingly.  She lifted her arm as the bottle became closer.  She could just reach it...  And then she fell.

Vesper stirred in her sleep and woke with a start.  It was dark, and she could hardly see now.   The dream, forgotten, she felt peaceful in the night.  She suddenly had the feelling that she was not alone and opened her eyes slightly wider.  She gasped and jumped, recoiling into her bed.  She had caught sight of him, staring down at her.  Before, she had forgotten that the entire incident with the demon had happened at all.  That was the main cause of her being startled.  
 
"Deimos?"  There was still the hint of her alarm in her voice.

[Lion]

Real awareness of what he was doing nigh left him completely and he wasn't even cognitive that he might be lurking closer to her than he intended.  All he was focused on was the magic that emanated off of her, so tempting and invigorating that he disconnectedly contemplated taking it from her right then and there.  Just slay her and absorb her soul.  No hard feelings and, really you'd be doing her a favor, a part of him argued, which favored not prolonging this situation further.  Another on the other hand claimed: Oh, but it would be so much more beneficial if you taught her to cultivate it into something great.  She has so much potential.  It would be such a waste to kill her now, wouldn't it?  Frankly, the more reasonable aspect of the demon agreed with the latter.  Despite the desire to take it right now, Deimos could control his impatience.

And he would.  But despite his decision for such, he couldn't shake the feeling of surreality that hung over his head like a black cloud.  She was a lodestone now and it attracted him like a moth to a flame.  It was proving surprising difficult now to regain control of his senses.  So there he loomed, a great pale shadow at the side of her bed.  She remained still for the while he looked, eyes unmoved and hunger growing all the more he gazed at her.

When she did awaken, stirring with a jolt and sudden sense of alarm, he still remained where he was but with a strange smile painted upon his fine visage.  Apparently she was sleeping rather peacefully until he came and invaded her space.  And she didn't seem at all pleased.  Well, if he was considerate in any way he would apologize and quickly depart.  Thank the devils he was nothing of the sort, save that he spared her life once again.

"Deimos?" she perked up in question.

He heard a faint sense of alarm evident in the tone of her voice, as what he construed as confusion.  He didn't move though and he kept what little distance remained between them.  For now there was no need to go any further.  Instead he stared at her for a moment, eye to eye before he said with a smile, "I was right about you.  You do have more to offer than you think."  And with that he reached out a hand, still approximately half a meter away from her, and projected out as shadow along it that took the shape of his hand.  The shadow, solidifying into thick black smoke, reached out and stroked her chin in something that might have given the impression of affection.

The manifestation immediately withdrew from her face and down along her neck until it disappeared altogether.  And still he stood there, the shadow of his cloak embracing him.  Until suddenly it wrapped around him completely, swirling like a black tornado until it dissipated, vanishing him from her room like the night wind.  It was almost as if he was never there.  That was, unless she were to look out into her living room where she might find him spread out on her couch fast asleep.

[Anonymous]

She froze, watching some dark form drawing nearer; she realized when it came into contact with her that it was his hand.  Still, she could not move.  She was a bit shocked to have woken up and found him here in her room, in such close proximity.  It wasn't that she hadn't been close to him before when they were in the forest, but within such an intimate place as a bedroom, she did feel a bit uncomfortable.  The feeling became greater when his hand moved down her neck, but that was where it stopped.  Her eyes stared into his, unable to look away now.  She could clearly see his face, but was not sure what she saw in it.   Suddenly, everything fell away, as if melting into the darkness, or was there a darkness that came from Deimos?  She couldn't quite tell in the dark.  He was gone, and she wondered if it had happened at all.  It was not unlike her to imagine things.  She concluded that that must be it.  With a heavy sigh, she fell back onto the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

Morning came, and she rose with the cheerful call of a songbird outside her house.  The house was quite, but she reminded herself that she had a guest in the house; she had a demon in the house.  She brooded on that thought for a long while, trying to figure out how exactly she felt about that.  She couldn't figure it out.  She threw over the covers and quietly stepped into the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes.  She washed her face in a basin she kept filled with water, patting it dry with a face cloth.  Shrugging out of her nightgown, she put on a white dress that fell to her knees; it was wide boat-neck with no sleeves, and hugged her form until her waist where it fell in playful folds all about her.  

Emerging from the bathroom, she made her way into the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Deimos on the sofa.  She wasn't sure if he was awake or asleep, so she said nothing.  She stepped outside the house for a moment, grabbing a basket that was sitting on the floor next to the doorway, leaving the door open to let the fresh morning air in.  Walking to the back, she gazed into her small garden to see if there was anything nice she wanted to gather for breakfast.  She caught sight of a red tomato, and grabbed it, gingerly snipping it with the knife that had been in the basket.  She set both back into the basket.  She then made a quick stop to the milkman and bought a bottle before coming back home, closing the door behind her.  

She began to busy herself in the kitchen, getting out utensils as quietly as she could.  She went to the pantry and opened a small door that was on the ground, taking out some soft goats cheese that was wrapped in cheesecloth.  In the ground, things that would spoil quickly would be protected from molds for a longer period of time.  Goats cheese would go bad quickly nonetheless, but she tried.  She began to mix things in bowls, grabbing some bread and a knife from the drawer as she did so.

[Lion]

Deimos slept quite soundly through the rest of the night, even swimming in so deep a sleep as to actually dream.  This was quite an advancement because he never dreamed.  Usually, when he rested, his usually sporadic and calculating mind did just that: it rested.  There was no need for him to do anything else since his mind was often so busy during the day.  The time to sleep was really just an off-mode for him, a chance to shut down, plug in, and reboot when the time to awake arrived.  From the moment he first stepped onto this realm's soil, he had to adjust to the rise and fall of the sun.  In the different realms he went to, sometimes there was just consistent moonlight and others there wasn't a sun or a moon at all.  But, as always, the adjustments came quickly and easily, as if he lived here his whole life.

Though the sofa poked him in some places, it was rather comfortable to him and he was able to sleep easy.  His mind was free to dream and in such dreams, he saw visions of his children, who were no doubt all grown up now, of the cold face Malika, the arctic queen and of his conniving sisters, whom he hated with a passion.  The dream itself wasn't all pleasant, his mind deciding to replay particularly difficult segments of his past to him for reasons unknown.  In any event, it made his sleeping fitful and decidedly uncomfortable.  He began to toss and turn on the couch until a certain clamor caused his eyelids to slowly slink open.

At first it took him a moment to register just where he was exactly but once fully aware, he woke up with a start and raised himself from the cushions of the sofa, carefully bracing his neck.  A knot formed along the nape of his neck, causing him to grimace uncomfortably.  He wrestled with it for a moment before vanishing it with a decisive crack.  "That's better," he breathed, taking the time to stand to full length, his cloak dissipating to flow behind him now.

He smiled when he saw the semi-familiar form of Vesper working in the kitchen and he started towards her.  Again the traces of the smell that drew him to her room, tickled his senses and awoke his mind completely now.  He approached quietly, his boots hardly making a sound along the floor which was rather surprising for a being of his size.  Coming along from behind her, he voiced out loud, "Do you always make a lot of noise when you're making breakfast?"