Setting up Shop (P)

[Salzem]

Demagogue and Nashyah were on their way to a certain country within the powerhouse that was Serendipity, a certain place known as Shadowmire. An ominous name to be sure but the demon was looking forward to carrying out his orders. The skeleton hovered just above the ground as they came over a hill, following the road that lead them to this place... It was a long, difficult journey for them both, Demagogue having to deal with the split personalities of this girl and Nashyah no doubt dealing with him... For the most part, the demon kept to himself for once in his abnormally long life, hardly saying a word throughout the majority of their journey. He didn't speak during the nights they needed rest, he didn't utter a word as the hours passed by on the road, he didn't even huff or make a snarky comment as roadblocks of various kinds forced them to alter their route. He was simply silent...

Demagogue was thinking about many things, about his ultimate plans for the world, about what he'll do to the clock-eyed girl once her usefulness came to an end, whether or not he would allow Nashya to go about her business once theirs had concluded... He wondered if his decision to leave his plans on hold were truly worth it, if taking orders from someone COMPLETELY MANIC AND INSANE was a wise decision, but these questions were sheer novelty. He made a deal with her and now he couldn't break it. There would be... consequences if he did... The one thing he knew was that once this was over and he had received his reward, Clock-eye would too. Her eternal reward...

They would still be about half an hour yet to Shadowmire and the skeleton lowered himself to the ground quickly picking up a wide but slow gait, keeping up with Nashyah casually. The closer they got, the more people they saw, the more sketchy they got. Yeah... they really were getting close.

Demagogue fished a soul out of his pants-pocket and and shoved it into his mouth, gnawing on it thoughtfully as he tipped his hat to the latest group of passersby. He wondered if his contacts were still alive... If not, he'd need to pay a visit to their families... How fun.

[Blink]

Walking just slightly behind Demagogue Nashya remained quiet for the most part, concentrating all of her efforts on keeping the 'face' that appeared before people up. Illusions were a part of her abilities she hardly used, therefore causing much more concentration from her than normal. It wasn't as simple as constructing a shadow manifestation that lacked the detail and color than human flesh did. All of this was an effort to allow the charismatic demon known as Demagogue to be the face of Golden Gear.

When he reached into his pocket to consume yet another soul the not so silent voice within the confines of her mind spoke up for what felt like the millionth time. "He really is inconsiderate. Does he not realize how hard we are trying to make him like normal? Eating souls like that with so many people around is just stupid."

Nashya's eyes flicked to the side when the voice spoke, an uncontrollable reflex as if that part of her was standing right there. Still this time her other sides comment caused a flicker of a smile to cross her lips. "You're right... he is inconsiderate" She then looked to Demagogue knowing full well that he had heard what she just said. Part of her said it on purpose out loud just so that he would hear it. So far she felt he really didn't appreciate the effort she was putting forwards to make him look somewhat human.

The journey had been long and silent, the two of them not quite finding a common ground to speak of yet. Instead they traveled with purpose, a task they had to complete for the sake of their reputations. The journey wasn't all silence though, as Nashya at least had her other self to converse with, something she normally would hate to do.

[Salzem]

Of course, many humans were ignorant to what a soul really was, let alone what it looked like so Demagogue had no care munching on them in public. Between his confidence in Nashyah's illusions and the utter stupidity that humans seemed to possess above all other attributes, the skeleton continued on with his habits. It was only when he reached in and grabbed the last one he had on him did he hear the little conversation the girl was having with herself (rather her alternate personality), stating that he was inconsiderate. At that, the demon smiled softly to himself, crushing the soul into shards with his fingers for Nashayah to see, if only for his own amusement. While Demagogue was no practitioner of illusions himself, to most humans, what they'd see was the demon crushing a little sweet between his fingers before the girl, all part of the human guise she was so kind to cook up for him. Granted, it'd still be attention getting, though far less so than a glowing ball of energy.

Still, eventually they reached the city of Jadenshine without incident, stopped by the guards at the gates as were all travelers requesting entry. Having a few words with one of them, the guard let them pass, signalling for the gates to open, revealing a bustling city inside. For the first time, the demon addressed Nashayah.

"We're going to see an old.... friend. She may have what we need and if not, her family will." The demon winked lightly, though his joviality was rather forced. It was hard to be joyace when traversing your own thoughts...

Without taking as much as a detour, Demagogue let Nashayah straight into the heart of the city where the rich presided, the houses steadily growing bigger and more extravagant the further in they went. It was one of these castles that the demon had his eye on, known for it's.... conductive attributes and excessive size. Granted, it wasn't the largest building here nor was it the most expensive by material amounts but it was the most suited for their purposes... The Onyx Keep.

The building was massive, made of a black marble-like substance, shining and radiant in the sunlight. The entire area surrounding the keep itself was made of a similar material, Nash's and Demagogue's boots *clacking* against it's surface. After a few sharp raps of the massive wooden doors, a young woman answered, her skin pale and fair, dressed in an elaborate white dress with hair that matched and eyes a solid black color. She looked at the pair in confusion, though her eyes seemed to linger on Demagogue's, something apparently familiar about him.

"H-hello...? May I help you too...?"

"Nash...." He murmured kindly. "Undo my face for a moment, would you kindly?" If she obliged, Suddenly, the illusion around Demagogue's face only would disappear, revealing the skeleton's smirking, carved teeth and glowing lights in his sockets.

"Demagogue!" She screeched before suddenly lunging forward, wrapping her arms around the demon's neck, forcing him to catch her lest they both fall back into the ground. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the Demagogue attempted to pry himself free but the girl was latched on tight, giggling.

"AHEM!" He faked clearing the throat he didn't have. No change. It took 3 more times before the message finally hit her, the girl pulling away from the demon, a wide smile on her face.

"Well don't just stand there! Come in!" She stated, standing aside and letting the pair enter. Gods almighty.... why....

[Blink]

The rest of the trip went on just as it had begun, boring... slow.... irritating. Nashya couldn't help but wonder if it was just the fact that Demagogue was a demon that made her so negative. As if some kind of unseen aura was emanating off of him that she wasn't picking up on. Or maybe it was just that he was so negative all the time that her abilities were overloaded, the shadow of Demagogue's mind fueling them enough energy for days on end.

When they reached the gates of Jadenshine Nashya did what she did best. She stood silently behind Demagogue, only focusing on keeping the facade of his 'face' believable. Thankfully, they were able to pass without issue and continue on with their duty. But mere moments after clearing the gate the demon addressed her for the first time during the entire trip. Her gaze that had been locked on the back of his boots the entire trip snapped up, the utter shock of him finally speaking to her a change of pace from the entire journey.

She did her best to keep an expressionless face when he spoke to her, but the forced wink he sent her way caused her stomach to churn in the most unpleasant of ways. "Did... did he seriously just wink at us?" The voice inside of her head almost as repulsed as she was. On the outside Nashya merely blinked not really able to find any words to reply with. Thankfully he then began walking again, leading her to wherever this friend of his lived.

Finally they reached the place he had in mind and Nashya merely stared at the keep in awe. It was magnificent to say the least, the color of the stone pulling at the darker sides of her personality. She did manage to keep her utter love of the structure in check though, instead continuing her focus on keeping Demagogue appearing human.

Then for the second time during their trip the demon addressed her again, this time abbreviating her name. "Kill it" her darker self taunted, already agitated with the familiarity Demagogue was using towards them. However, no matter how Nashya felt she knew there was purpose behind this visit, and it was all for the sake of Cyn and their plans. "Sure thing Dem" Nashya countered, the hint of sarcasm in her voice evident.

Closing her eyes she released the facade of appearance around Demagogue. Very quickly the veil of flesh and blood fell from him, evaporating before the girl that stood before him. The reaction that came next though caught Nashya off guard. "Well then...." her inner thoughts entertained and horrified by what she was seeing. Immediately Nashya thought the girl brain washed, no other explanation as to how someone could have any sort of positive feeling towards this irritating demon.

Following Demagogue inside Nashya gave the smallest of curtsies to the woman, showing her gratitude for allowing them into her home.

[Salzem]

The black-eyed girl either seemed completely oblivious to Nashya's sarcasm towards the skeleton or simply ignored it, letting the two of them in to a MASSIVE foyer, at least several floors tall by the typical drudgery's consideration of homes. She smiled kindly at Nash as she curtsied lightly before her, gently nodding in the direction of what could be considered the guest room, a section of the house slightly larger than the foyer containing an elaborate black marble fireplace and two black silk couches with a black-wood table in the between them both, all seeming to belong to a person with wealth and... obsessed with the color black. Demagogue made his way in with what little dignity he could scrape off that situation from a few minutes ago, sitting himself down on one of the seats and motioning for Nash to sit beside him. The woman in white would sit across from them both, her expression all smiles and her black eyes seeming to peer into the demon's own sockets... or what the illusion passed as his face. After maybe.... a second's worth of awkward silence, Demagogue raised a closed fist to his lips and cleared the throat he now had, compliments of his illusionist.

"Well... introductions are in order..." The demon declared, gesturing to the woman in white with a nod. "This is Caremilea De Bloodsworth, one of my... older 'clients...'" The woman only giggled lightly in response.

"It's not polite to call a lady old..." She murmured, leaning it a bit, her eyes flashing dangerously. Clearly, there was some kind of magic within her, at least enough to rival the demon in power or maybe even surpass him and yet... she was so controlled...

"Is not a several thousand years old, lady?" The demon countered.

"No, it's not."

"Indeed." Demagogue nodded lightly, staring into her eyes with a certain mild intensity before looking back at the smaller girl beside him.

"And this is Nashya... She's my assistant for the time being." The demon clapped his hands together, ready to get down to negotiating. "We want your house."

[Blink]

She would be lying if she didn't say she was impressed with how beautiful this home was. Nashya couldn't help but let her eyes wonder around it, taking in as much detail as she could. Once again following Demagogue she made her way into the guest room and sat beside him on one of the white couches. "Well seems they are both the strong silent type..." the voice in her head chimed in, noting the awkward silence that was growing in the room.

Up until Demagogue cleared his 'throat' Nashya felt slightly uncomfortable. When he introduced the woman as Caremilea.. one of his older clients Nashya slightly nodded at her out of respect. However, when they began talking about her age Nashya was stunned. "She is a hag" the voice chimed in again... causing Nashya to let out a slight giggle unbeknownst to them what she was laughing at.

And then Demagogue was introducing Nashya, and the way he called her his assistant created a fire within her that would not be extinguished for days to come. "Who the hell does he think he is!? We are not his 'assistants'! KILL HIM... KILL HIM NOW!" Nashya only averted her eyes from the two sitting as the voice in her mind continued. Instead of responding Nashya kept her cool, but her inner self could not. Instead that part of her aimed for revenge. Ignoring the bit of wanting the woman's house Nashya leaned back in the couch, her stature becoming more relaxed and casual, even slightly entertained.

However, Demagogue would not notice for at least a few more seconds that his 'nose' had begun to appear twice the average size of a humans. Instead of stopping her darker self Nashya found herself loving every minute of it and allowed it to continue. His face would shift a few different times until finally settling into that of an ugly dog. "I'll show him who's in charge here"

"So what favor did you make for this kind woman?" Nashya asked, not giving even the slightest hint that Demagogue's face had changed. No.. she would just sit back and enjoy this for every second she could.

[Salzem]

Caremelia giggled profusely as Nashya fiddled with the illusion that was his face, morphing it about as if it were a ball of clay in her hands. One moment, she made his nose.... excessive, the next, she expanded the distance between eyes so that he looked like a fish. The woman in white's reactions alone prompted an eyebrow-raise from the demon, his eyes now huge making the act that much more hilarious, making him seem like something of a comedy act.

What could she be laughing at...? The demon wondered, contemplating what he had said until now. It wasn't THAT funny.... The Demagogue then looked over at Nash beside him, her expression about as flat as her ches-PERSONALITY... a bit TOO flat... He squinted his eyes at her, eyes that now appeared to the that of an ancient pug: Large watery, bulging, almost completely concealed in fat flab roles. The skeleton peered at her curiously, oblivious to the subtle spell-work before the girl asked what he had done for Caremelia all those years ago. Before the demon could speak, the woman in white spoke first.

"Oh, he killed my husband!" She responded between laughs, a hand covering her mouth to hide her smile. "He was... Demagogue, how would you describe him?"

"Arrogant?" The demon offered.

"Yes, that, but what else...?"

"Rich?"

"Yes... but no..."

"Lazy?"

"YES! Lazy!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. "That's what he was. Never did ANYTHING around the house besides sign a bill or mouth off. I didn't even need to call Demagogue...." She giggled cutely. "And we've been married ever since..."

"We're not married." The demon objected.

"Ah... but we are in love..."

"Love is a 2 way street." The demon countered.

"And both are fully active..." She retorted, smiling behind her hand.

"Yes... well... you can be in love and homeless because we're taking your house." Demagogue declared, gently brushing aside her comment. "As I recall, you owe me more than twice the amount this place is worth."

"And as I recall..." She murmured, reaching out and gently taking the demon's hand, much to his chagrin (or as much as pug could display). "You owe me something as well."

"Not right now I don't." Demagogue attempted to faze his hand free but his magic wouldn't come to him. He tried to tug his hand away but the woman's grip was iron.

"Why not...?" She pouted playfully. "If you don't... no house... Now come here... and give me a big dog-kiss..." It was obvious Caremelia was struggling to keep from laughing in the demon's face.

Dog ki- The demon's head swiveled on it's neck over to Nash, his expression as threatening as a dog's could be... He said nothing, only stared, magic crackling around him. Whatever he was planning to do was swiftly shut down, all energy fading from the skeleton, even the illusion being cast fading away... strangely in Caremelia's direction... It was almost as if she was sucking the energy away from the room...

"Now..." she whispered seriously leaning in too close for the skeleton's comfort. "About that kiss...?"

Demagogue's white glowing orbs flicked over in Nashya's direction, almost pleadingly, hoping she could do or say anything that would earn her the esteemed honor of being his assistant.

[Blink]

Still sitting back as entertained as could be Nashya resisted from joining in on the laughter. Even when Dem turned to look at her with a dead set serious expression she managed to keep her expression flawless. She tried her best to follow their conversation, even going as far as raising her brow when the woman mentioned that Dem had killed her husband. However, she never chimed in and actually began to grow irritated with their back and forth banter.

But when the woman grabbed Dem's hand Nashya's interest was peaked. She could feel the emotions radiating off of both of them and that caught her attention. "Is this... embarrassment? Or maybe fear?" inside her inner self was picking apart what she could from the situation. She even noted that when the woman took his hand her illusion completely evaporated.

"Don't let her touch us" Nashya nodded in agreement with her inner self. She had pretty much given up trying to keep the illusion over Demagogue's face at this point. It was too much work and with this woman making it go in and out it was a waste of time.

When Demagogue turned towards her once more and pleaded with his eyes for her help she merely crossed her arms. She didn't have to say what she was feeling to let Dem know she wasn't going to help. Instead she stood up from the couch and took a few steps away, stretching out her arms a bit. "I am going to assume the guest bedrooms are upstairs. It was a long journey and some rest could do me good. I can see that the two of you need some alone time."

Her eyes locked on Dem's sockets before turning around to find the stairwell. She knew they were taking this house, so she would not wait for an invitation to stay. "I wonder if she is one of those women that steals souls when they sleep with a man" her inner self torted, causing Nashya to break out into an absolute fit of laughter as she rounded the corner of the room.

[Salzem]

The demon scowled at his assistant and her unwillingness to even give him some kind of aid... BAH the lengths he went to get what he wanted... He watched Nashya disappear upstairs, the Onyx keep consuming her in the confusing maze that was it's upper floors, leaving only the lady in white and Demagogue alone, Caremelia and the skeleton alone at last. The moment the girl was both out of sight and out of earshot, the woman would retreat back to her seat, A small invisible field surrounding them akin to Nashya's illusion, though it still showed a scene where Demagogue was struggling to NOT kiss this woman and blocking all but the noises most appropriate to the situation out.

"Don't kill her." The demon said flatly, glancing up at the massive black-marble stairs, knowing full well how dangerous they could be. "She's still useful to me."

"My.. you've grown patient." Caremelia commented before reaching under her couch cushion and withdrawing a small rolled up piece of paper, tied together with a white silken bow. "I remember the days when you killed people for much less..."

"And I remember the days you didn't put on this facade for others." The demon smirked, his sockets glowing brightly.

"Ah, the good old days..." She chuckled in response, tossing the demon the rolled up piece of paper, caught in Demagogue's skeletal hand. "The deed to the house, as requested. I believe that covers my debt to you."

He opened undid the scroll and checked the contents, the paper already stamped and signed under the demon's name or... rather... under one of his many aliases. "No... but this does cover a good bit..."

"I could burn that deed..." She offered, smiling.

"You drive a hard bargin..." The demon whispered, matching her grin before leaning back in his chair, letting the pillows welcome him into their soft, comfy embrace. "Very well... you owe me nothing. Caremelia grinned before getting up from her seat and walking towards the massive door to the house, gently tapping a certain onyx candlestick with one unlit candle in the center of a foyer table besides the door before stepping out into the light... disappearing the instant her skin touched light. Demagogue followed her soon after, closing the door behind and looking around his new house... his powerful house... one he could mold the interior of any way he wanted...

Fore this wasn't just any place of residence... It was a construct of powerful magical enchantments, ones that made mockeries of the most powerful dispelling techniques and enchantments... This was a place that shifted with the owner, the one that held the deed and the candlestick... The one that would own and maintain the house. Essentially, it was his own pocket realm within this one to a very certain point but nonetheless, he held more power than most demons like him... he'd moved UP in the world...

_____________________________________________________________________

Nashya would find her self on the second floor, greeted by long hallways with several doors lined up beside one another, each one leading into a room. No matter which one she opened, even one after another, the door would open to the same place, a large bedroom of sorts with a white mattress bed in the corner large, but not uncomfortably so. There'd be a wardrobe at the foot of it besides the entrance the door, a large mirror on the wall across from that and another door on the other side of said wall. Should she open that one, it'd open to a... quaint enough bathroom, a place to do one's business on one the left, a sink and mirror combo in the center and a small cabinet on the other side that housed a variety of black towels. This would be her guest room for the time being and would house her well! She could come and go as she wanted as per the rules of the guest quarters that came with this place, food, water and other things would always be present at the will of the owner of the house and every time she left.... her room would be clean...

Now that they had this seat of power... it was time for them to get down to business....

[Blink]

After a few minutes of exploring Nashya quickly determined that every room was spelled to look the same and inevitably she was stuck with it. She wasn't really complaining but always preferred her living accommodations to be more 'subtle'. She didn't stay in the room to get settled in, it all felt too foreign to her.

Making her way back downstairs she found Demagogue standing by the front door staring at the house with eager eyes. "Before you get ahead of yourself perhaps we should run this place by Cyn." She stopped halfway down the stairs and leaned against the rail. "I don't know if something this extravagant is what she had in mind."

Still leaning against the railing of the stairs she let her eyes scan the room she was in such awe of when they first entered. "And on another note I am not your assistant. We are equal partners in this endeavor." At this point even someone who really new Nashya (which was no one) they would be confused on whether or not they were speaking to the good or dark side of her personality.

"If you think a dog is the worst I can make you look like then boy do I have suprises in store for you." With that Nashya pushed off the rail and began walking down the stairs again. Yet again she found herself wondering what it was about this demon that made her so negative.

[Salzem]

The demon waved away her concerns as if they were irrational, shifting his hungry gaze from the house to her.

"Hiding in among the rich AS the rich is one of the best places to be." The demon noted, crossing his arms. "People with money are confident, unobservant, trapped in their own security because they believe that the guy next door is the exact same way. All we have to do is keep enough going on in our little house with parties, making friends, learning the culture of these people so that the poor will be distracted with envy and the rich will be complacent with our presence. So long as we conduct ourselves quietly and efficiently, we will remain completely unseen. Trust me... I've been doing this for a long time... Its only a basic 'look-over-here-so-I-can-move-over-there' strategy."

Demagogue's smile widened the tiniest bit in amusement as Nashya voiced her concerns about the little title he had given her, preferring to be an "Equal Partner" rather than what she actually was (in his eye-sockets). Sure, she could called his partner, what did he care? Whatever helped her do her work and help him get once step closer to his reward was worth a small title. The demon nodded lightly as the girl remarked that she could do FAR worse than the face of a dog and the demon certainly hoped so, willing to see just WHAT she could do after their business here was concluded... He'd have to probe her for that later when they had free-time.

"I believe you.... partner." The demon stated, closing the distance between them so that they were a more reasonable distance apart. "I'll send Cyn a letter describing this place and the plan I... we have for it. We should get a response in about a day.... Feel like tea in an hour?" Yes... the demon was serious about the tea. Regardless of Nash's answer, Demagogue would appear back in the guest-room chair with a roll of paper and a quill in his hand, already beginning to write down the details.

[Blink]

Her gaze narrowed as the demon instructed her he would be having tea in an hour. She would be lying if she didn't say it would be nice, but the awful energy that emanated from Demagogue tempted her to say no. But before she could even answer he was already back in the guest room with paper and a quill writing a letter to Cyn she presumed.

"Fine... Tea in an hour"

Nashya then turned back around on the stairs and made her way up to the room she had been in earlier. Closing the door behind her she set her bag on the floor at the entrance and made her way to the bed, sitting just at the edge as she stared at the confines of the room.

"Nothing to say?" Nashya spoke to herself, having already assumed her darker self would have had something to say by now. However, nothing came of her calling it out. Instead a shadow in the corner of the room began to twist and bend before it took shape of a being very similar to Nashya herself. It was a darker version of herself in a full on manifested form, as if she had summoned it herself from the same dimension her other beasts came from. The skin was pale, the hair darker than her own.. the eyes souless and white.

"Everything is going quite nicely... is it not?" The lips of her darker self did not move. It's voice was just as if it were still in her mind and not now standing just in front of her.

"We will see how nicely it is going when Cyn comes to look at it. Her opinion is the only one that matters."

Her shadow self then began walking around the edges of the room, going back and forth like a predator stalking its prey. These actions though did not scare Nashya in the slightest, she probably would have found it more scary if her darker self was just standing there doing nothing. She knew her darker self was just a parasite that had latched itself on her mind, one that always sought out the perfect opportunity to take over completely.

"Whatever you're plotting out it's not going to work. I know your tricks and I am not falling for them again."

Her shadow self then allowed for a twisted smile to appear on its face before slowly dissolving away back to the shadows where it came from.The rest of her time in the room was spent in silence as she waited for time to move forward. Time is such a fickle thing isn't it?

Once what she believed to be an hour had passed Nashya got up and went back downstairs to find Demagogue.

[Salzem]

Demagogue had finished up his letter Cyn, explaining the whole situation and briefly describing their new headquarters before putting the letter in the mail-box outside and returning to the house. Ah... it was all his now wasn't it...? What a wonderful artifact... With the girl upstairs doing whatever little girls do when their alone, that left the demon with one more task... he had to get started on that their tea! And one couldn't have tea without biscuits! Unfortunately, he couldn't go back outside without his disguise and without his little assistan- PARTNER tailing him SO... he'd have to make do with what he had on his person.... Digging around in his pockets, the demon found a small handful of special tea leaves, a little favor he had picked up before he was called upon to do this little mission... All he needed was one so why not use the rest on some kind of nice celebration?

Smiling to himself, Demagogue made his way to the kitchen, the place fully stocked with everything he needed to make biscuits and tea...

____________________________________________________

Somehow, beyond sense, the demon didn't burn the house down in his efforts to do what he set out to do and, in fact, he thought he made something rather pretty... Setting the steaming kettle down on the coffee-table in the guest-room along side the fresh biscuits, the demon sat down and waited for his little lady to make her way downstairs, no doubt the intoxicating smell of the fresh biscuits reaching her nose.

As Nashya came into view, the demon smiled brightly, genuinely happy to see her here once again. With a gentle wave, he coaxed her over, offering her a seat on the couch across from him.

"Ah! Your punctuality is something to be admired, Nash! Please! Help yourself!" Demagogue smiled widely, offering a cup to the girl, then offering to pour her tea for her. Once she was all situated with her food and drink, the demon would get his own cup, smiling lightly at her.

"Nashya... I think you deserve an apology. I have not treated you with the respect you deserve, have I?" He almost sounded regretful. "I truly am sorry if I offended you in any way... Its people like you that are the reason I even have faith in mortals... Strong... confident... Don't take this the wrong way, Nash, but I find you fascinating..."

[Blink]

The smell of biscuits filling up the space was enticing to say the least. "So the demon can cook..." Nashya simply smirked at her inner self's comment.

Taking a seat on the couch across from Demagogue she acted unfazed by his pleasantries. "Mhmm" was all she said as he continued on with his little ass kissing tirade by pouring her tea and serving her some of the delightful smelling biscuits.

Even when he apologized to her she kept her expression unaltered, unwilling to let him know that perhaps his apology was welcomed. "Let me stop you right there" she chimed in at the end of his apology and flattery. "I am not your little test subject. I know what demons do and I know that you know I tap into some of the same magic you come from."

Feeling like she was on a bit of a roll she continued on. "I am only here because Cyn needs me to make you look mortal. I am not here to make friends and I am not here to be your little buddy." Her gaze was cold as she stared at him. However it quickly went to something almost pleasant as she took a sip of her tea. "I will give it to you that your tea is quite lovely." Her words although nice were laced with something more dark.

"So lets cut the bullshit and you tell me what you want to know about h-... I mean me" Leaning back on the couch she crossed her legs over one another, appearing to be quite comfortable. "I mean this all just a game to you isn't it?"

[Salzem]

Demagogue seemed visually hurt as the girl cast aside his praise like he had insulted her instead. Instead of responding with some kind of thanks or something at least on the positive side, Nash favored to be cold, cutting, reminding the demon that the only reason she was here was because Cyn told her to be and that he needed to look like a human, She wasn't here to make friends, be his companion or anything like that... After those remarks, even her comment about his tea didn't brighten his day. When she asked if this was all just a game to him, that he didn't even care about any of this, the demon pursed his teeth, seemingly shocked at her question.

"Oh, Nash... How deeply you misunderstand me..." The demon set his cup down on a saucer on the table, the lights gone from his eyes, evidence of extreme emotion or grief. "I am sorry if I gave you that impression... At times, it may seem like I don't care about a lot of things, doesn't it...? The way I smile? The way I talk? And because of this... you think I can't take any of this seriously... oh dear..." Demagogue leaned in a bit, resting his jaw in his palms while his elbows were held up on his thighs.

"Allow me to be frank with you, Nash, because I don't want there to be any more misunderstandings between us... I do take this seriously... I take YOU seriously... The stakes are simply too high for me to just be doing this for fun..." The demon smiled sadly, almost as if she had insulted him without even knowing it.

"Nash... You're not my test subject... you're my partner, right? And we partners have to trust each other..." Demagogue pulled the tea to his hand once more with a gentle telekinetic tug. "Tell me, is there anything I can do... to quell this anger you have towards me...?"

[Blink]

She was disappointed by his response to say the least. Nashya had hopes of getting a rise out of Demagogue, and now made it her top priority to do so. Yet again she refused to acknowledge his grief and instead went on verbally attacking him again.

"First off you can stop pretending you have any form of feelings. I know your type and you my friend..." she leaned in a bit to plop a bit of sugar in her tea before taking another sip. "... you are trying to fool us."

She was willing to let go of the charade that she was in fact the true form of Nashya. Letting out a deep sigh she leaned back again, as if she were a boss talking to its subordinate. "Let us get one thing straight. The silly deluded girl you have been traveling with is nothing more than a pawn in my own game." Letting out a sinister chuckle she continued. "You and I though, we are two pieces cut from the same cloth. So I am going to ask you again..."


"What is your game Demagogue?"

[Salzem]

"Us...?" The demon asked, his eyes flaring to light once more, intrigued. Yes... this was what he was hoping for... Her other personality was slowly gaining ground this one, asserting it's influence... The demon ignored the last attempt to get on his nerves, her words floating past him as if it were a breeze before this new form of her took over... one much darker... one much easier to talk to...

Immediately, this new Nash asserted herself by stating the girl he was talking to up til now was nothing but a pawn in her her game, then admitted to them both being cut from the same cloth... Demagogue smiled lightly on the inside, though his face remained hurt, though confused now, his glowing orbs locking onto her. They were cut from the same cloth... HA! As if that changed anything... Though, she was significantly more attractive now that she was talking like that, displaying her power out for all to see... If there was one thing the demon wanted to tell her right now, it was sweet nothings fit for someone "cut from his cloth", though now sadly was not the time.

When she asked again what his "game" was, the demon's mouth couldn't help but flicker up into a tiny, playful grin, akin to the one a depressed huan might offer when told an actually funny joke.

"My game...?" The demon repeated, looking the girl up and down, trying to find what really changed in her between then and now. "Well... my game now is to sit down... talk a bit... and drink tea with my partner." Demagogue offered, bringing his cup to his teeth and drinking a little of his concoction. Oh... WOW. He made a GOOD tea, didn't he? He took another sip. "May I talk to her a moment? You and I can have tea... tomorrow afternoon...?"

[Blink]

Her eyes narrowed at his response, even more so at his next question. "Are you an idiot?" Nashya sat up on the couch a bit, straightening her stature. "You think I can just come and go as I please?" She then let out another sinister laugh.

"Seriously Demagogue I thought you smarter than that." Taking yet another sip of her tea she finally set the cup down on the small table in front of her. "I will admit your negative energy has helped me out quite a bit. It has been a while since I was able to take over like this. I've been sitting back pulling in as much of it as I can unnoticed."

"Right now Nashya still thinks she is upstairs napping. She doesn't even have any idea I have taken over!" The girl then let out yet another laugh, this one louder as if she had just told the world's funniest joke. "I still find it comical she even managed to get wrapped up in all of this on her own!"

Standing up the girl brushed off her dress before she began pacing back and forth in the room. "When she does awaken she will realize pretty quickly what has happened. She is going to ask questions." Her eyes then shot towards Demagogue again. "Feel free to say whatever you wish but remember that I am always here. I see everything... even the things she does not."

[Salzem]

Demagogue seemed hardly fazed by her initial insult, instead, he smiled wider and let her ramble on, staring at her intently. She seemed to willingly give away more and more information about herself, explaining that it was his negative energy that drew her out, that this was the first time in a long time she had been free like this, that up until now she only had more subtle rolls to work with. The skeleton watched her with the utmost curiosity, wondering where exactly she would go from here.

"Do tell..." He coaxed with a simple hand gesture, signifying his desire for her to go on. Nash (or at least half of her) explained that her other half currently thinks that she's sleeping upstairs right now and has no idea that she's been completely taken over. Apparently this half has no confidence in herself as she finds it hilarious she had gotten herself into this situation. The demon only stared, politely nodding from time to time.

Nash got up from her seat and began pacing back and forth across the room as the demon simply sat there drinking his delicious tea and perhaps nibbling on a biscuit as she continued on her rant, stating that her other half would eventually awaken (Implying she doesn't have complete control) and when she does, she'd have questions. The demon nodded to show that he was indeed listening, finishing off his biscuit before grabbing another. When she offered him the liberty to speak freely, the demon smiled thankfully before taking a sip of tea.

"In that case, would you please just go back upstairs then...?" Demagogue asked raising an eyebrow-socket. "Go and curl up on your bed until you wake up again as the person I want to talk to. And when she comes back down and you feel my..." The demon raised his fingers, bending them as he spoke. "'...Negative Energy', do your best to be as little a nuisance as possible... You and I are not partners and right now, I really need my partner here. now." The demon looked at this alter ego without the slightest care, just waiting to see her reaction.

"Would hate to see what Cyn can do to an alter ego with her time magic..."

[Blink]

Her other side was growing more agitated by the minute at Demagogue's lack of intrigue. She thought for sure the two would be able to band up in some way, she thought they would be better partners..

Then he threatened her, knowing full well the meaning behind his bringing up Cyn. Yes, time magic could make her nonexistent. Time magic could make it as if she had never rooted her way into Nashya's head. "Next time I will make your face into a pile of shit." She said plainly, before her expression changed completely.

Of course the darker part of herself wouldn't wait to go back upstairs to bring Nashya back. No, that would be too nice to allow Nashya to awaken where she thought she was supposed to be. The expression now on her face was enough to give her darker self the small amount of joy she wanted from it.

Nashya looked back and forth in the main guest room, then from Demagogue to the biscuits and tea sitting on a tray. "I'm sure you two had tons to talk about" her tone questioning, but the utter fear of the entire situation was too easy to read on her face.

Nashya wasn't afraid that her darker self had just talked to Demagogue, but was more afraid of how she did it. She should have known something was up when she manifested herself in shadow form earlier, she should have never allowed herself to sleep then. She never liked it when that part of herself managed to slip through the cracks.

Slowly she walked back over to the couch and took a seat, lifting the tea to her lips with a shaking hand. "You think it's something you could get used to... having someone take over your mind whenever they want to." She was half joking with her comment, but also embarrassed that Demogogue had seen that side of her. She knew he was aware of the two personalities that shared one mind, but what she didn't want him to know was that it could take over so easily and make her look like an idiot in the process.