Spirits of the Earth

@Blue

---

"C'mon, boy, don't do this to me," Aya pleaded.

Darkmoon tossed his head and planted his cloven hooves pointedly, refusing to budge an inch as the stable hand leaned back hard on his lead rope. "Oh, you ox-fucker," Aya growled at him, glaring. He just blinked placidly.

"Look, I know you don't want the bath, but you're coated in mud," she tried to reason with the draquus rather than use brute force--despite how previous experience had indicated that wasn't likely to work any better. "What if I sneak you some venison tomorrow?"

That piqued his interest; she felt his curiosity at the word "venison", her beastspeaking gift allowing him to understand her intent even though she spoke aloud in Common. Technically her employer, and the man who paid him to board Darkmoon, didn't allow the dragon-horse to have meat more than twice a week--despite Aya pointing out more than once that proper care for a draquus required a well-rounded diet. But keeping meat as an incentive for training was a powerful tool, and she was under strict orders to maintain that structure.

Of course, sometimes "strict orders" were stupid, and she didn't feel too bad ignoring them.

Besides, the promised bribe seemed to have done the trick. Darkmoon perked his ears forward and took a step toward her, allowing the lead rope to slacken fractionally.

"Thank you." She took another step back and he followed. "Good boy. C'mon, let's get you to--"

A sudden clatter rose from the feed shed, like the sound of a stack of barrels falling loose, followed by a yowl as a startled barn cat came streaking out of the shed and tore off in the direction of the main stables. Aya whipped her head toward the noise and Darkmoon hopped into a half rear, whickering lowly in startled concern.

"What in the bleeding hells was that?" Aya muttered. She gave her--not, not hers, never hers--horse a firm look and looped his lead around the brace post of the paddock fence. "You're not getting out of that bath," she warned him, "I'll be right back."

Ignoring his smug look, she turned and jogged toward the feed shed, sure that whatever she found, she was going to have to clean it up.

"Hmmm..."
A mess indeed was to be found, along with the apparent cause. Pyr stood in the midst of the most recent 'bad luck' mishap, still blinking slowly at the shed wall - or rather, where it had been.
It had spontaneously collapsed, as these things tend to do, dumping the collected barrels and canvas sacks previously stacked against it directly atop Pyr's head. Hundreds of pounds of feed and their containers were now spread about him haphazardly, some not surviving their tumble and having split open to further complicate the mess.

The incredibly tall man was dressed very simply in all black - though of course it was now rather off colored with dust - with a long sleeved shirt that had a scooped neckline, the laces left mostly undone, and form fitted pants that disappeared into simple calf-hugging boots. It sat starkly against very pale skin, nearly paper white where it was visible. His long hair was the deepest ink-black, falling like a curtain over the left half of his face, the rest pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. Here and there electric blue peaked through, which matched his half-lidded eye when it switched attention from the poor shed to the person come to investigate.

Entirely unperturbed, his face blank and placid, Pyr's towering form bowed slightly to the lady now witnessing the chaos for herself. His voice was deep and smooth and entirely without inflection.
"Good afternoon."
Straightening again, the strange man seemed yet to notice his visibly dislocated shoulder at all.

"You--what--weeping, bleeding hells!" Aya stared around at the half-destroyed feed shed, mouth agape and eyes wide. "What happened in here?!"

Without waiting for an answer, she suddenly seemed to process that the person in front of her was a stranger and her expression took on a tinge of wariness. "And who are you?" she demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

In general, she was not a particularly physically intimidating person: she was a bit below average height, and the general softness to her features and curves made her seem more "maidenly" than the typical Adelan standard for Warrior Spirit. But there was a fire to her violet eyes that occasionally made itself know, and now seemed to be just the sort of situation that required it.

"Explain yourself," she said briskly. "And if I don't like what I hear, I'm taking you straight to the stablemaster."

The stranger watched her placidly with that blue, blue eye as she sputtered and spoke and fairly processed what she was seeing out loud. She narrowed in on him quickly enough, an expression of probable suspicion and irritation on her face. The humanoid mortals of this realm were fascinating in their ability to broadcast thoughts and emotions with these expressions - he was getting fairly adept at interpreting them too, which helped immensely in his attempts to interact with them.

"The wall collapsed. My name is Pyr. I am a demon who has come to visit this realm for recreational observation - ah, I believe the term is 'people watching'." His voice rumbled out in a perfect monotone again, that one visible eye blinking slowly.
"I hope I have answered all your questions satisfactorily. I am not opposed to meeting this 'stablemaster'. Also, I believe it is now your turn in the custom of exchanging introductions and greetings."
He moved to gesture at her with one hand, but the motion was jittered and incomplete. Turning slightly, he glanced down at his own mangled shoulder, that same neutral expression on his face.
It didn't even register as much of an injury, so his body hadn't yet bothered to correct it. Still, it was a bit inconvenient, so he reached up with his functional hand to shove it more or less back where it ought to go and let his repair functions do the rest.

"Oh my gods!"

All her concerns about who exactly this stranger was—demon, had he said demon!?—suddenly got shunted to the side when he just—just grabbed for his arm and shoved it haphazardly back in the general direction of his shoulder.

"No!" she exclaimed, darting forward on instinct. "No no no no no! Dear gods, how did you even—here."

She reached out for him, then drew herself up short. Pointing a finger in his face, she said sternly, "We are not done discussing how this wall just came down, but dear gods at least let me fix you first. Here, hold still—and this is gonna hurt, so try not to bite your tongue or anything, okay?"

She frowned at him, waiting for his reaction before she risked actually touching him.

The tall man did not react to her approach or fretting, other than to continue watching her calmly - though he went somewhat cross-eyed as his gaze followed the tip of her finger when it pointed into his face.

"Ah. Your concern is kind, but you need not expend it on my behalf. The shoulder is already repaired. As others often do not immediately believe this, you may confirm it for yourself if you'd like."
To facilitate whatever manipulations she might need to do to assure his shoulder's good health, he leaned over a bit to compensate for their difference in height - the motion was slow and measured, as though he might startle her.

"When you are satisfied, I would like to continue the exchange of introductions so that I may know what to call you."

Aya gave him a wary, disbelieving look, but moved close enough to grip his shoulder gently, rotating the arm back and forth.

It...did actually seem to be properly back in place. And there was no hint of pain on his face--well, there wasn't really a hint of anything, but pain would have been what she was expecting.

She stepped back, staring hard at his shoulder. "You...really aren't human," she muttered, though it was unclear from her expression what exactly she thought of that. She stared a moment longer, then gave her whole body a brisk shake and looked up into his face again.

"...Aya," she told him, just a little sharply. She was still having trouble processing the situation. "My name's Aya. And you're Pyr. A demon." She exhaled and reached up to tug absently at one of her braids, brow furrowed. "What even...should I be like, worried about my soul right now?"

Once she had confirmed things for herself and stepped away, Pyr slowly straightened once more, lidded gaze watching her face as it moved through various emotions. The mortals of this realm had quite the varied number of reactions to the knowledge of what he was - it seemed to depend largely on the demographics of the area, though it just as often was dependent on the person's own experiences and lineage. Ultimately he couldn't accurately predict the outcome, but he could see no reason not to be honest about it, regardless of the responses he received.

"Greetings, Aya." Pleased to have finally completed the introductions, he was a bit surprised by her question. Not necessarily the question itself, but rather that she actually voiced it at all. Ordinarily those that feared his powers didn't bother to stay and question him - they were far more comfortable fleeing his presence instead.
Understandable, really.
"No, you need not. I have manifested in this realm of my own volition. I am under no contract with you, and you have not bartered your soul in return."

"Okay. Good. Great. That's...okay." She would never claim to be an expert on demonology, but she did know that demonlords existed, and that their powers relied mainly on contracts with demonic forces and entities. So, as far as she could tell, this Pyr person being able to manifest on their side of the Veil with no contract--no mortal anchor...okay, she couldn't actually tell anything about that. Her mother might know more--the woman had a bizarre interest in the occult--but Aya had always found herself more firmly interested in the practicalities of daily life.

"Alright." She shook her head, then gave him that quizzical frown again. "So...why are you here? I mean, here here." She gestured to the half-destroyed feed shed. "As in, this particular spot. You said something about...people watching?"

At the reminder of their location, Pyr took a moment to again glance around at the destruction surrounding him. This, too, he was quite familiar with. Mortals tended to get quite upset when their environment was disrupted this way - he was quite prepared to be told to assist in cleaning it up. This would be acceptable as it was unlikely he'd suffer another 'attack' so soon, thus making his attempt at helping quite moot.

"Passing by. I thought to observe the beasts here, and the people who tend them. This realm is quite different from my own, so there is much to see."
Finally his expression changed, if only in the slightest way - his visible eyebrow twitched as he had a thought. He found that much like demons and their penchant for contracts, mortals too appreciated the concept of offering something in exchange for another.

"I understand it to be preferable to 'clean up' a mess like this. As I have inferred that you are likely familiar with this location, I have an offer: I will return this building, and everything in it, back to its state before the accident. In exchange, I would like for you to give me a...'tour' I believe it is called. I can learn much through observation, but it is still preferable to have the insight from those who live here. Is this acceptable?"

"I--" Aya blinked, taken aback. She looked around at the mess; she did have a lot of other work that needed doing, and if all he wanted was a tour...

Was she being crazy? He was a demon--which was something he'd admitted upfront, which didn't exactly seem like the sort of thing a demon would do if they were planning to trick you into a soul contract or lull you into a false sense of security.

"...Okay." Her expression was still wary, but she nodded. "Okay. If you can get...all this--" she gestured to the mess around them-- "sorted, I'll give you a tour of the stables." Chancing something of a half smile, she added, "That's sort of part of my job anyway. How, ahh..." She glanced around again. "How long do you think...that might take you?"

It seemed like a fair question to her--there was a whole-ass wall that had collapsed.

Though his expression didn't change, Pyr radiated an aura of contentment when Aya accepted his terms. Navigating interactions with the denizens of this world was not always easy, and while he endeavored to learn as fast as he could, the number of failures he still endured was disheartening. He could not blame the mortals for their wariness, fear, aggression, and hatred - he simply wished he could put them better at ease, so that he might not miss out on so many opportunities to know them.

"Wonderful, we have an accord. Just a moment." Lifting his hand slowly, he pointed his index finger up into the air - a needless gesture, but for some reason people seemed more unsettled if he exerted his power without any overt actions to show he had done so. There was a sort of humming pressure in the air, and then the entirety of the mess, spilled grains and all, was gone. The wall was whole and intact once more, all the barrels and sacks again perfectly stacked against it.

His side of the bargain thus completed, he let his arm rest by his side once more, that blue-on-blue eye trained back to Aya's face.
"I am eager to begin our tour, so if you have no other pressing tasks to attend to?"

...

Well.

That answered that question.

When this guy said things like "just a moment", he apparently meant it fucking literally.

Aya blinked, then managed to pick her jaw up off the floor and look away from the wall to Pyr again. "O-okay then," she muttered, feeling thoroughly at sea. Was that normal? Well--obviously it wasn't normal, but she honestly didn't know enough about magic to tell if that should be just plain impressive or something closer to terrifying.

"I have to--I mean I..." She blinked, swallowed, then closed her eyes and steepled her fingers in front of her face. One breath in, one breath out. Two.

Okay.

"Right!" She gave a sharp little nod and suddenly smiled at him, and it was only slightly strained. "I am choosing to take this whole situation in stride. So yeah, sure! I do have some other chores I have to tend to before I'm off for the day, but there's no rule saying I can't show you around while I do that. Why don't we start with the training paddock?"

She jerked a thumb over her shoulder and nodded in the direction she'd come, where Darkmoon had ambled up to the gate to stick his head over curiously, though that could just barely be seen through the open shed door.

If there was anything Pyr had in abundance, it was patience - he quietly waited for Aya to process what she'd just seen and get her thoughts together. Luckily it seemed she did not have anything else that needed immediate tending to (though Pyr would have been happy to wait had she said otherwise) and so their tour would not be postponed.

"I will gladly follow your lead." Pyr bowed his head shallowly, then moved silently to follow after her. That half-lidded eye might seem somewhat tired or lazy, but it was laser focused on everything around him, eager as he was to observe everything about this place.

"Right. Okay. So." Aya led him cautiously back out to the paddock, where Darkmoon was waiting placidly, flicking his tail. As she approached, he bobbed his head twice and nickered a greeting. She smiled and reached out to him, cupping his muzzle in her hands before he snuffled and pressed forward to nose her cheek.

"Stop that," she chuckled, pushing his head away, and he pushed back, lipping her hair. Rolling her eyes, Aya gestured to the draquus and said, "This is Darkmoon. Currently he pretty much lives out here in the training paddock--he's a bit too territorial to house with any of the other horses. He's the only draquus we have at the stable, actually." Catching his halter, she unwound the lead rope and added, "I was trying to get him to come in so I could give him a bath, but I suppose that can wait until tomorrow. It wasn't technically scheduled today."

The dragon-horse snuffled at her hair again as she detatched the rope, then gave Pyr a long, considering sort of look before tossing his mane and turning to trot off toward the center of the paddock, grazing placidly.

"Right." Aya wound the rope over her shoulder and planted her other fist on her hip, chewing her lip. "Where next..."

---

The Herd Hoard Stables--a patently ridiculous name that Aya would have been more inclined to ridicule if the stablemaster didn't pay so damn well--were no Adelan dragon barracks, but they weren't small either. She took Pyr around the outdoor spaces first, showing him the various paddocks where most of the stables' tenants were turned loose a majority of the time, providing good weather.

The stables themselves were three separate buildings: one for the "ground herd", one for the "air herd", and one for the "special cases". Though he had wings, Darkmoon technically fell into the last category, which Aya explained as they passed through the building. Usually, when the winged animals were turned out, it was into the atrium that connected to the second building--or, as in Darkmoon's case, they were let out wearing a special harness that restricted the movement of their wings to prevent flight.

Her tone soured a bit when she spoke of the contraption, but she muttered something about, "Well, I'm not in charge, so who cares what I think," and carried on with the tour.

There were dozens of impressive animals housed at the stables, from the more "typical" destriers and warhorses to magical beasts of varying stripes and creeds. Most seemed not to notice Pyr's presence as he trailed along while Aya finished up her chores for the day, though the few that did would either spook slightly or flick their ears back at him in warning. Which was only to be expected, she supposed. Demon, and all.

"So." As they wound their way to the front of the main stable, she paused, hands on her hips. "That's...pretty much it. Aside from the main house, where the stablemaster's office is, and I don't actually have permission to be in there unless I'm summoned, so..." She trailed off with a shrug and glanced at her impromptu companion. "I guess...any questions?"

Pyr trailed after Aya like a particularly attentive shadow, silent but hanging on her every word. It hadn't taken him long in this realm to notice most of the animals did not have the ability to perceive him outside of his physical presence - they often treated him like an object in their environment, moving around him or perching atop him as they pleased. Those that were less mundane in nature tended to react to him as they did other demons, as either a threat or something to be wary of.
Given what he'd observed, he was rather glad that most beasts of burden (such as horses) fell into the first category - he had seen spooked animals toss their riders or dart off with carts full of items, and the mortals were always quite distraught at this behavior. He was glad not to trigger such reactions most of the time.

Their tour eventually complete, Pyr stopped next to Aya and surveyed the grounds he'd just been introduced to quite thoroughly. Offered a chance to ask questions, Pyr let his head tilt to one side as he considered this, the curtain of bangs sliding away to reveal the other half of his face. After a long moment of thought, he straightened and returned his gaze down to his guide. As usual, his voice was even and without inflection.
"I do. I am still working to understand the full breadth of magic in this realm, so I must ask - is the choice to build a physical atrium due to limitations in magical applications? Also, I have noticed that it is very common for the people in this world to have close relationships with various non-humanoid beasts, most often for companionship or physical tasks, however it seems that these creatures are physically contained in some way to keep them available. While Contracts do not seem to be a common avenue here, I have found that most beings will still adhere to the give-and-take concept of exchange, so I wonder why this is not used more often in these relationships?"

...Well. She had offered, she supposed.

Aya could feel a headache coming on. Rubbing at her temple with one hand, she started walking, moving more on instinct than anything else. "Okays, so... Let me try to take those in order," she muttered after a moment. "For the atrium--yeah, basically. We could keep the winged animals grounded with a variety of spells and potions, but that tends to be more expensive in the long run to keep resupplying and administering that sort of thing than the still-expensive-but-one-time cost of building the space for them. I assume, it was actually already built by the time I started working her. Not to mention...I think it's kinder. It's not the whole of the sky, but it's a hells of a lot more space to fly than they'd get if we kept them grounded all the time. Er, sorry," she added as something of an afterthought, suddenly unsure if he might consider "hells" offensive.

"As for the other bit...well." She sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck. "For most domesticated animals, the containment usually serves both to keep them available, like you said, but also as a form of protection. If there aren't fences, there are other things, like...oh! Like sheep." She glanced up at him. "You ever seen sheep milling about, with like a big fluffy dog sorta off to the side? That's to make sure the sheep stay together, and to protect them from any predators, since they usually aren't behind fences that would keep them safe." She shrugged. "That's just one example though, and that's mostly applicable to livestock. Honestly..."

Here steps slowed slightly and her mouth twisted to one side. "I have plenty of days where I wish we did work more like that, like you said. Like the plains riders, maybe--they don't keep their herds penned in, but the horses stay with them anyway, because they offer food and protection, but also because they're bonded."

She trailed off with another shrug, glancing around at him again--and only then realizing that she'd started back on the familiar trek through the outlying streets of Ketra to her home.

Pyr continued to follow Aya as she answered his questions, not particularly bothered with their destination if there was one. Instead he took the opportunity, as always, to continue his observations, watching the various people and shops they passed by.
He was somewhat surprised that she had assumed he meant magical implements to keep the flock grounded, and wondered how much that said about the nature of this place and the people in it.
Or perhaps she was simply limited by the scope of the magic she had seen so far, and thus other options didn't even occur to her.

The second answer did expand upon concepts he was still getting the shape of - mainly that it was perhaps more complicated than it initially seemed. Domestication in particular was strange and fascinating - it seemed that in place of the magic Pyr was more familiar with, the people of the realm were willing to bend nature to their will by exploiting how it operated, and being willing to spend generations to reach their end goal. Not at all efficient, but very tenacious and fairly clever.

"I do not understand your apology. My question on the atrium was not that I expected the flighted ones to be kept grounded - rather that the atrium was built as a physical object, instead of a permanent spell field. If it were magical, it could be much larger, among other benefits. I wondered if this was perhaps beyond the magical applications available to you currently in this world. I suppose this is a similar quandary to the domesticated beasts - that the ability to create Contracts, or these 'bonds', is perhaps limited to too small a user group. Solutions are made with the knowledge available, after all. Thank you for answering my questions, Aya."

"Oh. Well...yeah. That's a bit beyond our capabilities," Aya answered. "At least, it is here--there might be some colleges in Serendipity that have spells like that available, but I imagine they're intense, and probably very, very expensive."

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to his observation about domestication. The idea of equating demonic Contracts and the bonds between humanoids and their animal companions was...a lot to process, to but it lightly.

"Um. You're welcome," she told him, a little bemused, when he thanked her for answering his questions. She glanced around again, once more chewing on her lower lip. By now, they had nearly reached the cross street that led to the small house she shared with her mother when Loretta wasn't stationed at the barracks.

Sighing, she paused and said, "Look, I--I'm heading home. It's just me for now, so it's not like I've got anything interesting in, but, um...if you wanted, you could...stay for dinner?" she offered awkwardly, half because it...just sort of felt like the thing to do, and half because, frankly, she had quite a few questions of her own that she wanted answered.

Coming to a stop as she did, Pyr pulled his attention from their surroundings to refocus his gaze down on Aya's face. His only outward reaction to her offer was a slow blink, but internally he was quite pleased. He understood the offer to share a meal together to be a common overture in the process of 'getting to know one another' - indeed it was a common social pastime for just about every society he'd observed so far. Such an offer being extended to him was still a fairly rare occurrence, so he was eager to agree despite outward appearances.

"I am quite honored to receive an invitation to your home, and accept it gladly. I would like to be a good house guest, so please do not hesitate to alert me of any rules or customs I ought to observe and follow."

"Errr...right. Okay. Will do." She tried for a smile, thought she at least managed something close, then turned and beckoned for him to follow as she led the way down the street to her house.

It was a modest enough little building, close enough to the outskirts of the city that they weren't completely sandwiched between their neighboring houses, and only one story tall. Aya skipped the third step from the top leading up to the door out of habit--it always creaked--and reached into the satchel she wore across her shoulder to settle at her hip so she could dig out her key.

"I, ah, don't have company very often," she said half over her shoulder. "I'm afraid it's not the tidiest it's ever been..."

Oh dear gods. Was she really apologizing about her messy house to a demon? Biting back a sudden, vaguely hysterical laugh, she opened the door and stepped inside, once more gesturing for him to follow.

Pyr obediently followed along, either unaware or unbothered by her awkwardness in response to his...well, general state of being really. Since just about everyone reacted in a similarly discomfited way around him, he had accepted it as 'normal' behavior.

He waited at the bottom of the stairs while she went about the process of unlocking the door - another reminder that many in this realm could be thwarted with a simple physical deterrent - and simply took in the outside of the building while she warned him of the state of things within. Mortal dwellings came in so many variables it was astounding, and quite charming - it seemed more often than not the abodes were as unique as those living in them.

Once they were to go inside, he finally ascended the stairs, noting the one that creaked a protest under his weight - ah, that would explain the odd hop she did to avoid it. Closing the door carefully and quietly behind him, he remained stationed in the threshold while taking in what interior was available to be seen. As some households had 'rules and customs' that began the moment one entered, he opted to wait patiently for further instructions from his host.

Once inside, Aya quickly hung her satchel on one of the series of mismatched hooks by the door, then started bustling around the space, trying to pick up clutter while she found herself muttering, "Mum's been on duty for a few weeks, and she's not due back until tomorrow evening, so I just sorta...leave things about, really. I was planning to pick the place up before she got home, but..."

The house itself, like its exterior suggested, was a modest affair: mainly one largish room, with a wood-burning stove that also seemed to serve as the hearth. There was a table--big enough for five or six, but with only two chairs drawn up to it--tucked neatly against the lefthand wall, and a series of clearly self-built-in bookshelves lining the righthand one.

"Washroom's over there, if you need it," Aya told her guest, opening a thin door along the back wall and essentially tossing her armful of clutter inside. She paused and glanced at Pyr curiously. "I--I just realized--do you even eat?"

Shit. Well, he'd accepted her invitation, so...he must at least be able to eat, right?

"Oh, um, please, sit, if you want," she added quickly, seeing that he was still just sort of standing in the doorway. She gestured to a clearly well-loved reading chair drawn up close enough to the stove to feel its warmth, but not so close as to risk catching a stray spark. "I'll...I dunno, start some tea? Do you drink tea?"

He was enjoying his visual tour of the interior of Aya's home while she continued to verbally fret, but it took him a moment to realize that perhaps he was missing something in the interaction. He really did not have enough data to say for certain, but she was not the first mortal to worry over the apparent cleanliness of their living space upon having a guest.

Pondering this most recent curiosity, Pyr followed her invitation to sit and finally moved carefully from the doorway toward the proffered chair. The support beams holding up the ceiling overhead brushed against his hair, one catching him dully on the top of his head, as he passed beneath - unsurprising that the home had not really been built with someone as tall as him in mind.
Apparently no more bothered with hitting his head as anything else that had happened to him thus far, Pyr didn't react and instead concentrated on carefully taking his seat and then arranging his long legs in a way that did not stick them directly into the fire.

Hands folded on his lap, he finally turned to address Aya directly, in that somewhat ponderous way he always did things.
"Thank you. While I do not require sustenance, I have found that mortal cuisine is very intriguing. I will enjoy whatever you provide, but I understand food scarcity to be a problem and so if you would rather not waste it on me, I would not be offended."
His head tilted to one side again, a bit like a curious bird.
"I do have a question - is it customary for a host to worry over the state of their home when they have guests? I might assume that one's living space need only conform to their own wants, but perhaps I am mistaken?"

"Well, I mean--I know the place is small, but we have food," Aya muttered, wondering for a moment if she should be offended and then deciding that it was not, in fact, worth it. She started simply searching for what food they did have instead, emerging from the pantry with half a loaf of homemade bread, a small assortment of jams, and some soft cheeses that her mother was partial to and so always kept a bit around the house.

"Errr..." She hesitated, debating how to answer the question. "Well, yeah, I guess most people want to...impress their guests? I mean, I think that's what it is, at the core of it. I guess it's really just...what's done? I mean, Mum and I don't have guests very often so I don't exactly have a lot of practice at it, but..."

She moved the bread onto a cutting board and placed it on the table, spreading the jams and cheeses around it as artfully as she could manage on short notice--though considering her company, she wasn't entirely sure why. She usually didn't care about such things, and he certainly didn't seem to.

She looked around the small house again, considering. "Well...it does suit our wants, most of the time," she said finally with a small, unconscious smile. Shrugging, she took a seat at the table and gestured for him to join her. "Mum is still active duty, so she's gone half the time anyway; she was around more when I was a mite, but--anyway."

She shook her head and started slathering jam on a slice of bread. "I have some questions for you," she told Pyr with one arched eyebrow. "Fair's fair, right? So. You said you're a demon; now, I'm no expert on the topic, but I was rather under the impression that demons aren't usually able to just...come here. Not without a summoner. So...what's your deal, exactly?"

Entirely unconscious of the fact he nearly offended his host, Pyr tracked her quest for food while absorbing everything she said. Every little bit of insight and information was shuffled away in the depths of his mind, like a crow collecting shiny things - much of it was inconsequential, some just pieces of a whole, while every so often something of true value was found.
But just like the crow, Pyr didn't much mind what value others might put on his collection - he was happy just adding to his horde.

Relocating to the table to partake in the snack Aya had cobbled together, Pyr took his seat as carefully as before.
"I see. Thank you for answering my question."
What he thought about the concept of 'impressing' guests, if he had any opinion at all, was impossible to tell - like staring at a wall and hoping for answers to materialize.
He watched patiently as she helped herself to some bread and jam, unsure if this was a 'wait to be served' situation or not - thus far he had not puzzled out how to tell when this would be the case. Slowly, in case he was indeed misreading the situation, Pyr began to prepare his own slice of bread and jam, simply copying what Aya had made for herself.
He had already learned his lesson against trying to guess how and what to eat - too many horrified mortals in the past to make that mistake again. The way he experienced food was certainly different from mortals, he just wasn't entirely sure to what degree.

Chewing mechanically, he tipped his head in her direction when she expressed a desire to ask him questions of her own. She was correct in theory at least - while 'fairness' had little to do with it, equivalent exchange was another matter. Nothing for free, after all - that was the way of his realm.
The question was not entirely unexpected, but it was a bit tricky to answer. The simplest response would be 'because he's strong enough' to do so, but it explained nothing of the mechanics. He took his time thinking, just as methodical as his chewing, before finally answering.
"You are correct - for most demons, they cannot pass into another realm without help. I can explain in more detail if you wish, but the simplified method is that an entity in the other realm calls out an invitation, establishes a Contract, and then opens the pathway to allow the demon to pass through. From there, the Contract is often used as the anchor so that the demon may remain manifested. However, for those demons with enough power, this method can be bypassed. Forcing your way into a realm is terribly destructive - I suppose you could think of it like blowing apart a wall instead of finding a door, to say nothing of being invited inside. Manifesting yourself without an anchor is likewise possible, but it consumes energy constantly and thus you will eventually run out and be forced from the realm."
Pausing a moment, Pyr blinked slowly at Aya. It was possible that being honest would scare her, which he did not wish to do. Lying to her was not an option, but he could simply stop there, and let her infer what she wished from his explanation. He let out a huff of a sigh and finally looked away from his host.
"If you are a demon with immense power, you force the realm itself into a Contract. To use my earlier analogy - I cut my own door, and invited myself inside."

Aya listened intently as he explained his answer--in thorough detail, which she'd rather started to expect and also appreciated, at this point. At least in regard to this particular question.

Then he said he'd made a Contract with her realm itself, and she paused with her slice of breath half in her mouth, eyes wide. "Well. That's...mildly terrifying," she said with a slow exhale, putting her food down. "And you--what? You just used that insane amount of power to come here and...sightsee?"

She shook her head in disbelief--not because she didn't actually believe, to her own surprise she found that she did. Easily. Maybe it was something in the way he'd looked away from her before he said it; with most people, that might have been an indicator of a falsehood, but with him...she got the feeling it was more like...wariness? Or maybe even embarrassment? It was difficult to tell, but for some reason she trusted it more than logic said she should.

No, the disbelief was simply in regard to the enormity of what he was describing so casually. After a moment, she gave a low whistle and shook her head again, finally picking her bread back up to take another bite.

"That's insane," she muttered as she swallowed. "You're insane, do you know that?" She drummed the fingers of her right hand absently on the tabletop, a behavior that wasn't quite an anxious habit but was something close to one. He ring caught a flicker of candlelight before she flattened her palm against the wood and pushed away from the table a little bit.

"How did you end up at the stables?" she asked after a moment. "That just seems...I mean, you could go anywhere, couldn't you?"

Pyr was greatly relieved (and showed exactly none of it, of course) to find that Aya seemed to be a mortal of strong nerves. She clearly was unsettled, and rightly so - but she was not lashing out in any way he might expect. Such reactions were anticipated, and quite natural in his opinion. Anyone who could grasp even the edges of the scope of what he was describing had plenty of reason to fear. Had he any machinations against this realm, the damage possible was immeasurable.

Luckily for all, he did indeed simply wish to 'sightsee'.

No longer concerned with scaring off his host, Pyr's implacable gaze again landed on her. He had finished his bread as well, and so folded his hands atop the table softly.
"I believe I am interpreting your tone as 'incredulous', correct? Perhaps there is no way I can explain that would be adequate, given the vast difference between us, but I will try. For ones such as myself, there are largely no entities that could summon me, in a purely practical sense. Assuming I opened my own pathway to take the burden off the summoner, it would still be incredibly difficult to form an anchor strong enough to bind me to their realm. It is most often that the Contract is used, because Contracts are incredibly stable magic, but what could be bartered and offered that would be worth such effort? Anything capable of summoning me likely has enough power to achieve whatever they might ask me to do quite on their own. And so I have never been summoned, and have never seen other realms. I simply grew...curious."

The glitter-flash of cut stone tugged his gaze down toward the ring on her finger, though he dutifully finished answering her questions before asking another of his own.
"I travel all over the realm, as there is much to see. The stable was simply another stop along my path. What is that ring? It hums an unusual spell."
Given that his single-minded focus hadn't shifted from said ring since he noticed it, it shouldn't be hard for Aya to understand to what he was referring. Magical items were common enough in this realm, but often the spells were simple things that he could understand at a glance. A ring on one's eldest child he might have anticipated having a protection charm imbued, but rather than repelling this spell was binding. A limitation...a suppressor perhaps?

Once again, Aya found herself simply listening as he elaborated. She had more questions—how long had he been here? When was he planning on going back? What was his realm like? What did he think of hers? Where was he planning to visit next? And were demons more like the Fae then, really, visitors from an Elsewhere that connected to the mortal world, but seemingly with more restrictions, or perhaps simply differentones? Did he like the bread and jam? And probably a few dozen more besides those.

But then he asked about her ring, his attention on it so strong she swore she couldfeel his stare on the back of her hand. She glanced down at the thing, brow furrowed slightly.

"It's just a ring—hm? Spell? Oh." She shrugged, looking a little embarrassed, but in the pleased sort of way of someone who appreciated the intent behind a gesture even if they thought the gesture itself was excessive. "I think it's just a basic protection charm—Mum is infuriatingly mute on the point, like it's some sort of game, but it was a birthday present from her a few years back, so..."

She trailed off with a shrug, but her expression was slowly morphing from that vaguely pleased embarrassment to something...something else.

She stared at Pyr, hard. "Unusual," she repeated slowly. "You said it's an unusual spell. What...?"

Given what he'd just explained...what exactly would qualify as "unusual" to someone—or maybe something?—like him?

His gaze remained fixed on the ring, deep blue pupil expanding and contracting much like a cat's as he analyzed it from afar. What she said was not the truth, but it was no fault of her own - clearly her mother had lied to her about the ring's purpose. Or, perhaps, her mother had also been lied to...regardless, it was certainly no protective charm.
Quite intrigued, Pyr's head began to tilt to one side as was clearly a habit of his.

"Excuse me." With no further warning, his finger appeared over the ring - the movement had happened with such speed as to literally be blink-and-you-miss-it. His finger did not touch the ring, nor did it remain there for more than a moment before he withdrew his hand in his usual careful, measured pace.

"Quite unusual, in the sense I have yet to see a spell like this in this realm. It's quite complex - or rather, it was. The spell has eroded quite drastically, and will likely fail soon. It is not a protective charm, at least not in the expected sense - it is binding a power, keeping it enfolded and suppressed. Given that the ring is not that old, I can only assume that the degradation of the spell is due to the magnitude of the power it is keeping contained, rather than the slow wear of time."

Finally his gaze flicked up to her face, his pupil shrinking to that of a pinprick. No longer the metaphorical 'weight' of his attention, this time a humming pressure enfolded her - as before it lasted only a moment, broken when he blinked, electric blue eye returned to 'normal'.
"Fascinating. The power is certainly coming from you, but it is quite well hidden. Or perhaps it might be more accurate to say it is in a language difficult for me to translate. I don't suppose you know what of yourself is being held at bay?"

Aya flinched back a bit when his hand was suddenly hovering over hers, thoroughly startled by the lightning quick movement after all her previous time spent in his presence giving observation only to slow, methodical movements.

She slowly started to shake her head as he spoke, brow furrowed. It wasn't a protection charm, it was a--a suppressant. That didn't make any sense. What would it be suppressing?

Then he said the power was coming from her--was apparently enough power to erode the spell--and her slow head shake became abruptly frantic. "No," she said, as though she could possibly tell a being with the kind of power to hop between realms what was and was not true about her silly little ring. "No, that--that can't be right. I mean--I'm not even a mage! Sure, I've got some beastspeaking talent, but that's really just with horses, I'm not...I can't..."

She stood from the table, suddenly buzzing with anxious energy. "Are--are you sure?" she asked him, starting to pace, hands clasped tight together in front of her chest. "I mean...my mother is a dragonrider, maybe...maybe it has something to do with dragon magic?"

Pyr watched as she paced, eye traveling back and forth along with her. This was body language he was almost certain he understood, and it meant she was quite unsettled. Strangely, it seemed to be due to learning of her latent abilities, whatever they might be. He couldn't fathom why that would spark anxiety, but clearly it had, so he attempted to pick his words with more care.

"I am quite sure. I do not understand your assertion that not being a mage discredits the truth - with such a powerful spell of suppression, you would be unable to use magic even if you knew how. Assuming the ring was placed on you when your powers were ready to properly manifest, there would have been no opportunity for you to use them."
He paused to think, his head slowly tilting to the other side as he assessed her pacing form.
"While it is possible for a dragon to place a spell or boon upon another, this is not that sort of magic. That ring's charm is quite specific, and is not something I've seen before in this realm. I imagine whatever it is keeping at bay is quite rare."

Aya shook her head again, though she didn't seem to be denying what he was saying, exactly; it was more like she needed the movement to orient herself.

"But I don't have any power," she protested, as though he hadn't just explained how it was entirely possible that that might not be true and she could have no idea. "And—I mean, even as a kid, I never...I didn't..."

She reached up to tug at one of her braids, finally stopping her pacing, though she now seemed to be coming close to hyperventilating. "Why would she—what would she—why wouldn't she tell me?!"

She glared down at her ring—then abruptly ripped it from her finger, apparently unthinking or uncaring of the kind of consequences that might have.

Which were pretty immediate: sensation slammed into her. Sound, smell, scent, even touch, the feel of the wooden floorboards beneath her palms as she collapsed onto her hands and knees suddenly grainy in a way she'd never felt before. She gasped, clenching her eyes shut against the onslaught of sensory information.

"What...what's...happening...?"

The power that her ring had been suppressing flickered around her, faint gold, lashing out with tendrils into the world around her and then curling back in to her body. She gasped again, then whimpered, feeling the weight of it lashed to her core.

Desperate, she reached for the ring where it had fallen, unable to cobble together any other thought than to make this stop stop stop.

Aya's distress only continued to grow, leaving Pyr a bit at a loss. There was not much he could think to do for her, his experiences with mortals still fairly limited thus far. He also did not entirely understand the reason for her heightened emotions - yes, clearly it was her latent powers, but what about that was so cause for this reaction? This was something he could not begin to guess at, and so his options were limited in terms of what support he might offer.

Sometimes it was simply best to let them express all that emotion before approaching - calmer minds were more receptive to communication usually.

Unfortunately since Aya was still very much NOT calm, she made a reckless decision (as mortals were terribly fond of doing, it worried Pyr quite a bit). The ring came off, and Pyr could hear the tenuous strings of the spell snap with the backlash of power as it was released. Now a piece of metal and stone and nothing more, it rolled away beneath the table and Pyr paid it no more attention.
After all, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

The flash of power was so bright and sudden he felt it lash against his eyes, the warmth of red blood and blue-black ichor a slow trail down his cheeks. The damage repaired itself but still the burning sensation remained, and in that moment Pyr recognized the taste of this magic. A language difficult to translate indeed...more-so a language he was barred from reading again.
"Ah. I see."

The power began to settle soon enough, like a spring that had been compressed finally releasing with vigorous energy, only to return to its resting shape.
Mortals in pain or great discomfort were not hard to spot, and so Pyr easily realized that Aya was perhaps struggling with the consequences of her actions. Towering straight and unmoved above her curled up form, entirely expressionless, he seemed so much the callous demon mortals often saw him as.
But Aya did not have to see, because she would instead experience something entirely different. He was rusty with the ages, and the magic itself was now abrasive against his own, but he gently cupped that swelling power and carefully folded it back into shape, smoothing down the ruffled edges. Trying to suppress the power completely was likely to cause further damage, so instead he simply...muffled it, like putting his hands over her ears in a too-loud room, dampening the stimuli. He could hold her thus until she began to acclimate on her own, slowly but surely.

It was so much, too much, every single one of her senses suddenly heightened to the point where she could hear the stuttering rhythm of air rushing in and out of her lungs, her heartbeat not just a thudding pulse beneath her breastbone but the hammer of a war drum.

And then...something changed. It didn't stop, didn't go away, but it was suddenly...much closer to bearable. Her gasping breaths started to even out, slowly but surely, and she even thought that weighted feeling in the center of her chest had lessened.

"Please..." She winced, her own voice still too loud in her ears, though at least it wasn't deafening now. "Please...can you...make it stop? Make it stop..."

The creak of her front door opening was like a shot from a Connlaothian rifle. She flinched and whimpered, her whole body trembling as she tried to focus through the abrupt volume of the sound to figure out what it actually meant--

"Get away from her!"

Loretta Almarin was across the room in an instant, with all the savage grace of a well-trained warrior, snatching a knife from the table on the way and thrusting it against Pyr's throat as she shoved him back, trying to knock him away from where Aya was curled on the ground.

Aya, who couldn't gather her senses enough to tell her to stop, still trying to recover from the echo of her mother's voice that refused to fade from her ears.

"Stop it," Loretta snarled at Pyr, pressing the knife--still with a smear of cheese on it--to his throat until it drew blood. "Let her go, whatever you're doing, let her go."

Pyr's lips pressed more tightly together as Aya pleaded, the words a barb to his heart. He did not wish to see her in pain, but some pain was inevitable now and he hated having to be the one to deny her relief. He could simply cut off the pain receptors of her mind of course, but in the state she was in there was no guarantee he could undo the change later. Everything about this situation was delicate, such that any wrong move could cause lasting damage. He was essentially trying to help an egg hold its shape - too much or too little force and the shell would crack.

Naturally, this was the moment for further complication to appear in the form of Aya's mother. Pyr hardly had a moment to lift his gaze to her, garish with the stain of blood and ichor he had yet to wipe away, before she was on him with impressive speed for a mortal. Hmm, had Aya not mentioned something about that...? Was she a warrior perhaps? That would certainly explain her deft wielding of the knife now sunk into his throat.

You see, Pyr did not register much as a threat in this world, and lacked the inherent reflexes of a creature concerned for its safety. While most people would have stepped back upon being shoved, even more so when faced with a knife, Pyr was essentially an immovable object. There was no outward reaction to the woman's physicality nor the knife wound slowly beading blood, Pyr simply blinking placidly down at her as she stood between him and Aya's curled form. It hadn't even broken his concentration on the task at hand, though he did decide to address Aya's mother directly in an attempt to allay her fears.

"Please, lower your voice. You are causing Aya pain at that volume. Unfortunately, I cannot stop - as she has removed the ring and its suppressive spell, I am now assisting her acclimation to the sudden manifestation of her power. Should I stop, the pain and discomfort she is experiencing would worsen threefold."
His monotone was very soft as he spoke to Loretta, while at the same time he sought to reply to Aya at the same time - naturally he could not use his mouth for two different conversations so he opted to communicate directly to her mind, just as gently as everything else.

"Aya, I'm afraid I cannot suppress your power again and stop your suffering. Doing so would harm you more, do you understand? Do not worry about your mother, all is well. Please focus on your power and where it lies at the core of you - you need to come to know its feel, and allow it to settle. The pain and discomfort you are feeling is going to fade as your body gets used to its true nature. Right now you are like a child kept in the dark stepping into sunlight for the first time - it hurts and blinds you, but soon enough you will be able to see the world in a new way."
He smoothed the ruffled edges of her power again, like stroking the puffed-up fur of a startled cat - he could do little else to soothe her through the transition.

"You think I'm buying that, you demonic son of a bitch?" Loretta hissed--blessedly, whether it was her intention or not, the threatening tone did lower her voice. "Yeah, I know what you are--I've spent years preparing for something like you to show up, but you can't have her."

She only then seemed to realize the extent of what he'd said, blinking, the pressure on the knife lessening just a bit. "Her...ring? She..."

She looked down at her daughter, saw the empty spot on her right ring finger--which actually still bore a slight indentation from how long she had worn the ring--and all the color drained from her face.

"Oh no..."

For her part, Aya was just starting to feel like every sound wasn't going to split her skull open when Pyr's voice suddenly spoke directly in her mind. It was a shock, but oddly also something of a relief; with his voice in her head, she wasn't actually hearing it, and it wasn't as overwhelming as...well. Everything else.

Focus on your power, he said. But...she didn't know how. She'd never felt anything like this, she didn't--she couldn't--

I'm scared, she thought, unsure if he could hear her but keeping her mind open in the way she did when she communicated with the horses, letting her inner voice float away from her. I don't understand what's happening. I don't want this...

She whimpered, curling in a little tighter on herself, but slowly, so, so slowly, allowed her awareness to travel inward, toward that weight in the center of her chest. No--not quite. In her heart. And it wasn't a weight, it was... She didn't have the words for it, not exactly. It was like there was something massive inside her, bursting to get out, but it couldn't escape passed the fist-sized muscle in her chest. So it pressed and raged until she thought she was going to come apart at the seams, but somehow her skin still managed to contain it.

Loretta had stepped back from Pyr--not far, and she still held the knife--with her eyes fixed on Aya. She started to reach for her daughter, then remembered what he had said about her voice being too loud and stopped. She looked to the demon, her face a near-copy of Aya's with another thirty years to it and bright hazel eyes rather than soft violet.

"...What can I do?"

The hissed cursing passed him by with ease but the other bit was of interest - she had expected potential demonic intervention? Now that was something to look into, for as far as he could tell the power roiling against his own as the pure burn of angelic essence. Clearly Aya's mother had intended to hide this, given the ring and her expectation of trouble, but he was quite interested to know why exactly that was.

Luckily he was more than capable of splitting his attentions.

"I know, and I am sorry I cannot do more to alleviate that fear. This power is yours, but you have not had the time to accommodate it. That pressure is the result of the power having to make space for itself - what was once neatly folded and compressed into a small thing has now expanded exponentially. It may feel like you cannot contain it, but know that I will not allow you to break. Remember when I explained how I came to enter this realm under my own power? If I can do that, please trust that I can handle this with ease - you will be alright. The only reason I do not take your pain away entirely is because any further magical intervention carries too much risk. I do not allow you to suffer on a whim, Aya. It will pass. Just breathe, let it settle, do not fight it. If it aids in your belief of what I say, then know the terms of my Contract do not allow me to lie to the denizens of this realm. It is not empty platitudes."
He continued the rhythmic stroking against the magic inside her so she might have something pleasant to focus on, despite the way it burned against his own essence.

Meanwhile, he blinked in actual surprise at the question. He hadn't expected her to ask something like that quite honestly. Though still with knife in hand, she seemed to have opted to turn her attention to helping her daughter directly rather than try to remove the perceived threat.
Pyr met her gaze calmly, the cut on his neck already sealed.
"Remain quiet. Do not attempt to touch her. Other than that, there is not much to be done but wait. I apologize for the distress I have caused you. My name is Pyr, it is a pleasure to meet you- ah, despite the circumstances. May I ask why you are expecting an attack? And possibly from demons at that?"

She believed him. She didn't know why, but she believed him.

Let it settle. Do not fight it.

She tried. Slowly, painfully slowly, Aya forced herself to simply focus on her breathing, to count her thunderous heartbeats rather than allow them to drown out thought. After a few breaths, the air in and out of her lungs no longer felt like cold knives. A few more, and the fact that she could feel every whorl and divot in the wood beneath her hands was not quite so overwhelming.

The cradling sensation though...that was external. She knew that, somehow. She shivered, feeling the power inside her beginning to calm at what felt like a truly glacial pace and trying to focus on the sensation of connection that was offered by the gentle stroke of Pyr's power against hers, rather than the sickening rush of fire filling her veins.

Loretta was watching her daughter with a burning intensity; it clearly pained her not to be able to go to her, but in her current state...she would take the demon's word for it that touch would not be helpful. "Why wouldn't I be expecting an attack?" she murmured in answer to his question after a long, quiet moment. "She isn't supposed to exist..."

It took a few minutes--which to Aya felt like hours--but eventually the young woman managed to pull herself together enough to crawl back onto her hands and knees, then slowly sit back onto her heels. The golden glow around her seemed to be slowly reabsorbing into her skin, and with it, the hot needles of her power against Pyr's presence lessened just slightly. She shuddered, arms wrapped tight around her middle, and looked up at them both blearily.

"Mum..." She blinked, then hissed and clenched her eyes shut as another wave of power rocked through her, but it was...almost manageable, this time. When she opened her eyes again, they went to Pyr. "What...happened to you?"

She hadn't had occasion to properly see the blood streaking down his face before.

It truly was just a matter of time, all three of them only able to wait out the inevitable, with varying levels of discomfort. While the majority of his attention was still carefully monitoring Aya, his gaze remained on her mother for now. Her response was, once again, surprising to him.
"Oh? According to who?"
With his deadpan delivery it might have come across wrong, but he was asking genuinely. Mostly he simply wished to sate his curiosity, but it might also be nice to know if he should expect more sudden guests (well, Aya's mother was hardly a guest in her own home - unexpected entrances instead perhaps?).

Any response would have to wait, as Aya finally began to stir and pick herself up, careful in the way of one still in quite a bit of pain. Pyr watched her closely, feeling the waves of her power against his own beginning to recede, just as he knew they eventually would. He'd continue his vigil until she was entirely settled, whether that be hours or days from now - he did not mind the task.

Finally his attention was returned to himself, courtesy of Aya's question - reaching up, he touched the tacky surface of his face, fingers coming away coated in drying blood and the tar-like ichor that had run from his previously ruined eyes.
"Ah. The intensity of your power flare burned away the surface of my eyes for a moment. As I recall, mortals ordinarily do not enjoy the sight of blood, correct?"
On that note, he flicked his fingers and the mess disappeared entirely, leaving his pale cheeks clean once more and his visible eye clear.
"Is this better?"

"I..." Aya gaped at him. "I burned your eyes?" She winced, immediately regretting the minor increase in the volume of her voice. Loretta started to reach for her seemingly on instinct, then forced herself to draw up short.

Aya blinked and shook her head slowly, trying to reorient herself to the new sensitivity of her hearing. "I'm...sorry..."

"Oh, sweetheart." Loretta kept her voice low, barely more than a whisper. Aya looked to her, a hint of clarity returning to her eyes.

"What..." She glanced at where her ring had rolled under the table, then back to her mother. "Why?"

Loretta sighed, pressing one hand to her mouth for a moment before she let it drop. Then she got slowly to her feet and said quietly, "I'll make some tea. This may...take a while."

As she moved to put the kettle over the fire, she looked at Pyr, evaluating. Eventually, she told him evenly, "If you so much as move to harm her, I will cut you into pieces and scatter them across the continent."

Aya blinked at that, still on the floor but ever-so-slowly feeling something like a semblance of normalcy return to her body. Well, not normalcy exactly. More like adjustment. "Mum, he's...a friend."

Which...maybe shouldn't have rung true, but it did. She'd only known the demon for a handful of hours, but...it was hard to feel the kind of security and care that his power cradling hers provided and not feel some sort of connection. So until she had a better word for whatever he had so suddenly become to her, she was going to go with "friend".

"Apology accepted. There was no lasting damage, in any case."
He watched Aya as was his way, noting the changes externally as he monitored the power settling within her. At this rate, she'd be acclimated sooner rather than later.

The threat leveled at him calmly had him turning toward Loretta, face impassive as ever.
"I'm sure you will try. I will endeavor not to give you reason to."
Her protective instincts were to be expected, and while they would likely be futile, he still appreciated the sentiment. Parental care was unfamiliar to him, but it had quickly become one of his favorite observational topics.
Besides, even though she would likely not believe him, he genuinely did not wish to harm anyone in this realm if he could help it.

Aya's declaration of friendship actually caused Pyr to blink twice at her. Rarely did mortals extend such a title to him! Of course, despite being incredibly pleased, his face and voice remained as flat as ever.
"I am honored. Do you require assistance?"
He extended a hand to his still floor-bound 'friend'. It would likely be preferable for her to sit at the table while her mother served tea and explained herself, after all.

CRACK

One of the ceiling beams gave out abruptly right above Pyr, the broken end crashing directly into the top of his head. For a moment it balanced there as plaster clattered to the floor.
"Ah."
The large beam wobbled, groaned, and slipped free - only to be caught easily with his other hand before it could potentially land on Aya. Blinking with eyelashes full of dust, Pyr glanced up at the ruined section of ceiling. Well, it had been quite awhile since the stable incident...

Aya gave him her best attempt in her current state at a grateful smile, cautiously reaching up when he extended his hand. "Yeah," she murmured. "Thanks."

She saw the beam wobble, heard it creaking, but she was still so unused to her newly super-powered senses that at first she assumed it was something normal, just the house settling the way it did as evening came and the temperature dropped. It wasn't until the gunshot CRACK that she realized something might actually be wrong.

Unfortunately, the crack itself had momentarily incapacitated her. She cried out, clapping her hands over her ears and curling back in on herself. She'd barely recovered enough to even notice that she was in danger before Pyr had caught the beam.

Loretta had lunged forward when the beam fell, but with Pyr holding it out of the way there wasn't actually much for her to do.

"Oh my gods," she muttered, looking up at the new hole in her ceiling. "That...I know it's an old house, but..." She looked from the demon to her daughter and back. "Are you...both...alright?"

She still didn't trust Pyr but...Aya had said he was a friend. And despite her daughter's youth, Loretta had only ever known her to have an impeccable judge of character. Maybe that extended to demons too.

Not that Pyr would have noticed or mentioned it anyway, but the literal dent in his skull from the beam was already mostly healed by the time Loretta asked after him.
"I am alright. Ah, one moment."
Standing there and holding the ceiling up was not the best use of his time, and so he once again exerted a bit of his power to return the beam to its proper place. Between one moment and the next, the ceiling was again whole, no plaster on the floor or dust in Pyr's hair - it was as if the mishap had never occurred at all.

With both the beam and Aya taken care of, thus freeing up both of his hands, Pyr turned and took the few long-legged steps necessary to reach the seat by the fire he had folded himself into earlier that evening. Picking it up carefully, he carried it to the table and set it down at one of the free sides, leaving the two other chairs open for the ladies of the household.

Once seated, hands again folded, he looked up at Loretta patiently.
"I believe you said it was time for tea?"

Both Loretta and Aya watched him amble over to adjust the position of his chair and take a seat, apparently neither able to come up with something to say to that casual display of power--despite the fact that Aya had seen it herself earlier when he fixed the feed shed.

Then Loretta gave herself a little shake and nodded. "Right. I did say that, didn't I?" she murmured. She cast her daughter a concerned look, but Aya had managed to stagger over to her own chair at the table and gingerly lowered herself into it. Letting out a careful breath between slightly pursed lips, Loretta finally moved to set three cups on the table, sprinkling tea leaves on the bottom while she waited for the water to heat.

"Let me just...let Vitala know what's going on," she murmured, starting to reach out as though to touch Aya's hand before catching herself and drawing her hand back. Glancing sidelong at Pyr, she elaborated, with a hint of reluctance, "My dragon partner. He...knows the story. I'm just asking him to give me some time to...explain things."

She closed her eyes, connecting with her dragon, while Aya stared at her incredulously.

"Vitala knows?" For the first time since she'd taken off the ring, she started to feel something that wasn't pain or panic: anger. "Who--am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on right now?" she demanded. She wanted to yell, but it was too much effort. And it still hurt her ears.

Loretta winced, though she kept her eyes closed until she'd finished her conversation with her dragon. Then she sighed and opened them slowly.

"...Your uncle and Kimiko know, too," she admitted, and Aya wanted to hit something.

"What the fuck is happening to me?"

Loretta glanced at Pyr again rather than answer directly. "You know, don't you?" she asked softly. "How much did you tell her?"

Pyr looked into his cup at the tea leaves curiously, eager to watch it steep once the water was done. Mortals truly had the most fascinating ways of consuming the nutrients they needed! Who ever conceived of putting dried leaves in hot water for a beverage?

He shifted his attention back to the ladies when he felt the distant hum of magic - ah, communicating with her dragon. He had been quite interested in observing more of this bond common in Adela, though dragons and warriors alike were more wary than the average person. Alas, maybe one day - perhaps even Aya's mother herself, should she ever see him as less than a threat.

If nothing else, the woman had a habit of asking him questions he did not anticipate. He blinked at her once, before choosing his words.
"As I do not know the truth, there was nothing for me to tell. I pointed out the nature of the ring, as I was intrigued by the intricacy of the spell, but I did not understand the nature of the power it held at bay until it was released."
That blue eye shifted to Aya then, as he continued to her directly.
"All that I know is that the power is angelic. I could guess a great many things about it, but I too would like to know the truth of this. Ah-"

He turned to Loretta again, having realized all the distractions of before did not allow them to finish something quite important in the interactions between mortals.
"We did not complete our exchange of greetings. I await your name and salutation."

Aya's eyes had widened at the word "angelic", but he just moved right along, asking for her mother's introduction, before she could even begin to process that.

"Ah. Of course." To her credit, though she did look slightly taken aback by his manner, Loretta rallied quickly and nodded at him curtly. "I am Lieutenant Loretta Almarin of the Fifth Wing Cohort. It is..." She seemed to cast about for a word for a moment, then settled on, "Interesting to meet you."

Looking back to Aya, and the hundreds of questions plainly racing across her face, she sighed and wrapped her hands around her tea cup. "Let me...tell you about how I met your father."

She explained the story quietly, mostly staring into her tea: how she had found a wounded Samuel, helped him to recover, fallen in love. How they had lived together quite happily for a while. How her pregnancy had been unexpected, but a joy to share with her love. How Samuel had finally told her the full truth of what he was, and how that put their unborn baby in danger. How he convinced her to let him leave.

"You see, the ring..." Loretta sighed. "It was meant to protect you. The longer we could keep your powers at bay, the longer you would be safe from..." Her eyes flickered toward Pyr, then away again. "From whoever they would have sent after you."

Aya was mute, staring down at the pattern of wood grain in the table. Over the course of her mother's tale she had become...not exactly comfortable with her new state of being, but certainly it felt much more manageable. The only outwardly visible sign of her power's manifestation was now a new light behind her eyes, turning the soft violet to a flickering ember for moments at a time.

"...Why didn't you tell me?"

Her mother sighed. "Samuel...he told me to keep you ignorant of your power for as long as I could. Simply sealing them was only part of it--if you didn't know about them, they would be less likely to try to manifest themselves." She sighed again. "At least, that was how he explained it to me."

Pyr listened just as intently as Aya likely did, though purely out of curiosity in his case. There were a number of reasons he could have come up with to explain her powers, as with all things there was rarely only one possibility. In this case, it was perhaps the most obvious answer if one remembered how mortals most often connected using their bodies, due to how they reproduced.
Still, even the most straightforward answer was incredibly interesting! Such a combination did not often produce a viable embryo, and there were a host of possible complications during and after pregnancy that could terminate a human child burdened with angelic blood. Angels were not, after all, meant for reproducing in this way - truly, it was more accurate to say they could not unless they had 'fallen' as this one had.

Cutting through the strained atmosphere with all the grace of one who literally did not realize it was there, Pyr's smooth monotone interrupted any further conversation between mother and daughter.
"A Nephilim then? Fascinating. You specifically seem to regard Samuel as a 'fallen angel' but not a 'demon', so I am curious to know if he lost his 'wings'? Did he still have his µӘ¿æ?"
The sound that came out of the demon's mouth was...impossible, in essence. Loretta might have heard something that sounded a bit like a dial-up tone, not that any in this realm would know what that was. Aya might have heard something more like notes, a wordless tune echoed in birdsong voices and the reverberating crack of glacial ice.

"Ah. I see that is not permitted. Hmm, perhaps...a 'halo'? Ah, very good. Yes, was he missing his 'wings' or 'halo'? It is possible he simply fell from Grace, which is different from being truly Fallen."

Loretta blinked at the sound that came from his mouth, while Aya shook her head, wondering briefly if this was another quirk of her new senses.

"He--ah, no, I don't believe so," Loretta answered after a few moments. "That is...I only saw his wings once, when he...told me what he was. They seemed intact." She paused a moment, then added, "Though I cannot see the metaphysical aspect that angelic wings have, so it is possible they were damaged in a way I couldn't see."

Aya's turn to blink as she looked at her mother. Ah. Now her mother's odd "hobby" of studying the occult made a lot more sense. She vaguely wondered if she'd gathered most of this knowledge before or after Samuel left.

Samuel. A fallen angel. Her father.

Not noticing the way her daughter had retreated into herself a bit, Loretta continued, "He told me he was...spared, I suppose. From total destruction. For many centuries of service to his god--he either couldn't or wouldn't tell me which god--rather than be destroyed or...corrupted, I suppose, he was exiled. Cast into our world with only a fraction of the power he once had."

"Did..." Aya wet her lips. "Did he ever tell you why?"

Loretta looked down sadly and replied, voice soft, "Only that he was given an order he chose not to follow. He never gave me details, but...I rather assumed it was something quite awful. A massacre of some kind."

Aya shuddered, then groaned, dropping her head forward into her hands. Her breathing was starting to come fast again, shoulders jittering. Loretta started to reach across the table for her, worry painting her expression.

"Sweetheart?"

Aya flinched back from her so hard that her chair screeched across the floor. She stood, taking a few stumbling steps back from the table. "This--this can't be real," she muttered, shaking her head like a horse trying to rid itself of a fly. "This can't be real."

So very fascinating. So he had simply been cast from Grace, which is what Pyr would have assumed given what he'd heard thus far. Whether that was a fate better or worse than being truly Fallen...he could not say. He was too far removed from what he had once been, too long as he was now, to make any sort of accurate comparison.
No matter. More prevalent was the fact the father had chosen to leave, that they had chosen to hide the truth. It seemed quite possible that with Aya's powers now manifest, she was going to attract some manner of danger - angelic in nature, Pyr could only assume.

The chair rattled as Aya shoved from the table, Pyr instinctively soothing the ripple of power as it responded to her spiking emotions. He tilted his head as she spoke, watching as she seemed to try and shake free the very truth she had been told.
"It cannot? What a strange thing to say. Ah, is this perhaps a struggle in accepting a great shift in understanding? I suppose you have been fairly overburdened recently..."
Slowly, Pyr reached up to place a finger against his chin, blue eye still pinned to his distressed friend. How troublesome...he would like to help, but it was not as though it would do Aya any good to remove her memories of this encounter. What was done could not so easily be undone - the power was manifest, the bloom of her very soul, and he would not be the one to attempt to pluck it.

"Loretta, you seem to be under the impression - you and Samuel both - that Aya would be in danger should she come into the truth of herself. I should like to know what the plan is for this inevitability? What are the next steps?"
Despite the bluntness of his words, he was again genuinely asking rather than trying to censure Aya's mother. That there may not be a contingency plan in place had yet to even occur to him.

At the same time, for the sake of efficiency in what was a rather delicate situation, Pyr was again speaking directly to Aya's mind.
"What can I do to assist you in accepting your new reality? Which part stymies you so? If you require further clarifications or information, I would be glad to provide as much as I am able. All of this may be new to you now, but it has always been your truth."

"I--" Aya was so overwhelmed that she answered him aloud, unthinking. "I can't--I need--"

She abruptly turned and fled to the back of the house, through the slim door that she had tossed her clutter into earlier. The click of the door behind her wasn't overly loud, but it was certainly very final.

Loretta watched her go with an expression that said this behavior wasn't unexpected, even if it wrenched her heart. "She'll need some time," she murmured, though whether that was to herself or to Pyr wasn't entirely clear. She exhaled a heavy breath and dragged one hand down her face before taking a small sip of her tea. "She'll never forgive me for this," she all but whispered. "I can't expect her to forgive me for this..."

There was a long moment of quiet, then she gave herself a little shake and looked up at Pyr properly. "To answer your question--and yes, Aya, I know you can still hear us. You don't have to say anything to me, but you should know this, too," she added, tilting her head just slightly toward her daughter's bedroom door.

There was no response, save for a tiny pulse of gold-tinged power against that cradle that Pyr had established around Aya.

Loretta continued, "We knew we couldn't keep her power secret forever, but...Samuel was never meant to have children. Her very existence is a crime to his people, and yet she is--or will be--more powerful than her father." She sighed and looked down at her tea. "He explained it to me that...well, essentially, even though his powers were reduced when he was cast out, the entirety of them would have been passed on to Aya--albeit somewhat tempered by her human parentage. Nephilim are rare, and one like her even more so. We thought...if we could find someone to teach her, train her to control it...she may be able to keep herself safe, when hiding her no longer worked."

Another quiet sigh and she shook her head. "I've spent the better part of two decades looking for someone who could handle that task. There are schools in Serendipity, some of them capable of great feats of magic--but it isn't the same thing." She glanced at Pyr. "As I'm sure you know. They just aren't equipped for such a task."

Pyr watched Aya flee, bemused at the behavior, but he could only defer to Loretta's greater experience and knowledge in the matter of her daughter's needs. Time it was then - he supposed there was nothing so pressing he couldn't simply tell her later after all.

He turned the full of his outward attention to the mortal still in his presence, curious to know what her answer would be to his question. When he finally received it, his head tilted slowly as he pondered it. More bits of knowledge to be filed away, fitting together to form a larger picture even if incomplete. It took him a moment to fully consider his words before he addressed things one by one in that smooth, unchanging voice of his.

"It is true she may not forgive you - children rarely have the luxury of choice in their own creation. The circumstances she now has are entirely based upon the decisions you and Samuel made, though I would say that of the two of you Samuel earns the larger burden of responsibility. He knew of himself, he knew of his situation, he knew of the danger. You did not, until he saw fit to tell you. It was an unwise decision, but I lack any true understanding of siring offspring, so I cannot say I know what might have tipped the scales against all the dangers and risks. I must say I am most confused by Samuel's choices in all of what you have told me - he is the Angel, the point from whence all this originates, and yet he is not here. Why leave the human parent to watch over the Nephilim offspring? Why expect the human parent to find a suitable mentor? If I understand what's been left unsaid, it does not seem that you expect Samuel to return, correct? I cannot understand this choice. Who else could be expected to teach his offspring? Angels, like demons, largely reside in other realms and do not often cross over without cause to do so. Unlike demons, angels do not have an established means of summoning - they are sent rather than called after all. Finding an angel who has fallen from Grace, like Samuel, would be even less realistic as they are likely to be actively hiding their presence."

He paused there, blinking slowly as he rolled the situation over in his mind. He should really like to know what Samuel the angel was thinking - had he simply panicked? Was that likely for an angel without grace but not yet Fallen? He did not have enough information, so many missing pieces, it was becoming quite the engaging puzzle box.
"For all that, the only other beings who understand angelic power are demons - specifically the Fallen ones. For a mortal such as yourself, the most feasible solution would be to forge a Contract with one such High Demon."

"No." Loretta looked away, lips pursed. Like her daughter, she seemed to be growing used to taking Pyr's bluntness in stride, but she still didn't look exactly comfortable to be discussing this particular topic. Sighing, she took another sip of her tea and seemed to be considering for she continued, "No, he's...not coming back. And--" She paused, frowned, then went on: "Yes, I suppose the burden of blame--if there is any to be had--would lie with him. But... He didn't actually know he was capable of siring a child with a mortal. And yes, I was angry with him for keeping the truth of his nature from me, but...as he explained it, he thought he was protecting me. As I said, knowledge of angelic nature can be just as dangerous as the power that nature entails. I think he would have told me anyway, in his own time, but then I was pregnant and..."

She sighed again and placed her cup on the table. "He feared that his--his people, I suppose, his old cohort, would be keeping tabs on him. We were only together a year before he left--not so long, in the grand scheme of things, and he hadn't felt the power of his god seeking him. But he worried that if he stayed, and they did check in on him..."

Her eyes flicked toward Aya's door. "He should have been destroyed for his disobedience. If they learned that his bloodline had carried on--well."

She finally looked back to Pyr, meeting his eyes--or, eye--properly for perhaps the first time. "But with Aya's powers manifested so suddenly...you may be right. Her father would be the only one who could properly teach her. Or--or a High Demon..."

"Mm, your reaction was reasonable. His initial assumption was reasonable as well. Angels are not capable of sexual reproduction, as a general rule. Explaining the specifics is likely not permitted, so the simplest reason is that they are not made to do so. Angels are not naturally in a human-like form - this is a shape they often take in order to be more easily perceived by mortals, something their minds will easily understand and interface with. I have done the same with my own frame, for example. Now, while it is true that knowledge is dangerous, I believe ignorance is the other edge of that blade. I imagine his fear superseded his good sense, thus leaving you with a lesser plan of action than would have been ideal. This too is not unreasonable - it is a simple thing for a God to snuff out mortal lives, and Gods are nothing if not fickle, which is a fact he would have well known. Aya's existence is in danger not due to taboo, but because she is an unpredictable variable with unchecked power - it is simply unwise to leave her be."

He watched Loretta, unblinking, for another moment. If one watched him in return, it would become suddenly apparent that he was still - still in a way that living things normally were not.
Well, as it happened Pyr did often forget mundane things like breathing but this body was far removed from his true self so he should be given credit for only having some uncanniness.
"I imagine you are wary of the concept of demonic summoning, but you could call me an expert in this field. Before moving forward, I recommend you plan out what exactly you wish to ask for. Well, what Aya wishes for truly. Is it a mentor you require, to learn how to wield the powers? A more permanent spell to hide them away again? To remove the angelic essence entirely? To track and find Samuel? To hide from the gaze of Samuel's particular God? There are many ways in which you may approach this problem, many solutions you could choose. I recommend you consider your options carefully."

"...What about you?"

Loretta started slightly, jerking her head around to see Aya standing in the doorway to her room. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy--she'd clearly been crying--but her voice was steady enough as she looked between her mother and the demon and pointed out, "I mean...you're a High Demon, aren't you? Couldn't she make a Contract with you?"

"I'm..." Loretta glanced at Pyr and said delicately. "I'm...not sure if that's such a good idea..."

"Yeah, well, neither was fucking an angel," Aya snapped, and then both women immediately winced. Aya rubbed at her temples--she felt like she had something of a handle on her new senses, but the overstimulation had given her a terrible headache--and muttered, "I--I'm sorry, Mum."

"...I know, sweetheart." Loretta looked at her sorrowfully. "You have every right to be angry."

"But Pyr has a point," the nephilim continued a little more carefully. "Unless we could get in contact with an angelic power--and aside from that being next to impossible, you're already pointed out why it's not a good idea--a High Demon would be the most knowledgeable party." She look at Pyr as though for confirmation. "Right?"

Pyr actually shifted in his seat, as though uncomfortable, a rare outward display for him. His face was still a blank mask, but his gaze was fixed on the newly re-emerged Aya.
Despite being prompted for a response, the High-Demon in question remained silent for a very long moment indeed, perfectly still.

Finally, long after the pause had become socially uncomfortable, Pyr stirred and flicked his gaze down to his folded hands.
"Your mother is...correct in saying that it would not be...wise. I understand that being bestowed the title of friendship indicates a certain expectation of support and aid, and I do genuinely wish to help you. However, I am...concerned about the logistics of forging a Contract with one such as myself."
Pyr's gaze flicked away from them both, and one of his fingers tapped the table once - for him, this was practically squirming. Frankly he was feeling a bit embarrassed about all this, despite being generally committed to stating things as they are - which he still was, of course, just...

"I am a Fallen one, this is correct. But I am...in the highest tier of power. For my realm, there are no demons that rank above me. It is lucky that I am already manifested in this realm, as it would be effectively impossible for either of you to manage the power needed for the summoning alone, but the Contract itself poses a problem still. Contracts are built upon equivalent exchange - both parties give and receive something of equal value. That said, every being has a different perception of what has 'value'. I am...concerned that you will not be able to offer me something of equivalent value to Aya's life, or safety. Our negotiations will be quite difficult."

"What if...I made the Contract?"

"No." Loretta was on her feet in an instant, her whole body held carefully still, taut, a drawn bowstring ready to fire. The only change in her expression was a sudden fierceness in her eyes. "No, Aya, you can't."

"Why not?" The younger woman looked between the two of them. "It's my life, isn't it? Shouldn't I be the one to decide what it's worth?"

Loretta's mouth drew into a tight line. "Sweetheart, it's...it's not that simple. It's never that simple, we're--we're talking about powers beyond mortal understanding--"

"But I'm not precisely mortal. Am I?" She looked to Pyr, as though the question was for him as well. "You said equivalent exchange, right? If it's my life, my--my safety, or whatever, that's tipping one side of the scale, shouldn't I be the one to decide what goes on the other end?"

Pyr expelled a long gust of air from his nose, like he might actually be sighing. Not in frustration, but rather he felt somewhat resigned.
"Yes, what you say is true. Quite frankly though, I do believe you will both need to sign the Contract."

He finally looked at them again, observing them together, mother and daughter side-by-side.
"So long as you both are able to agree to what - specifically - you will be requesting from the Contract, you will be able to shoulder the payment together. This will make it at least somewhat more likely that you will be able to offset the cost of this. Please be in accord with each other on this first, take what time you need to do so. The forging of a Contract begins with the negotiations - neither side will be permitted to back out until a Contract is made, not without incurring penalties. I must stress again that you both need to be certain of what you want and how willing you are to get it before you agree."

"Aya, please." Loretta crossed to take her daughter's hands, though she stepped back quickly when Aya flinched at the contact. "Please, think about this for a moment. You heard what he said--if you do this, there's no undoing it."

Aya released a sharp breath of her own, spreading her hands out helplessly. "What else can we do? Locking my powers away again is a no-go, we just don't have the means. And without--without my father to teach me..."

"But what if we could find him?" Spinning suddenly on Pyr, Loretta demanded, "Blood calls to blood, yes? Or essence to essence, in this case. There has to be a way to track him down, now that Aya's powers have manifested. There are plenty of tracking spells that operate on the basis of like calling to like--even if we used that principle very basically, how many angels could there be on our plane?"

"Yes, that is a concept on which spells can be built. Depending on the various factors involved, the spell itself will vary in complexity. Blood versus essence, range, sensitivity, accounting for Samuel actively masking himself and in what manner he has done so - there are many elements to account for, but it is not impossible."

He was again back to his seemingly unflappable self, poised and calm at the table.
"As I mentioned before, there are many options you might consider in approaching this problem. There is no one solution."

"Then help her find one." Loretta turned and leaned in to brace her hands on the table, practically vibrating with tension. "Please. Help my daughter find a way to either find or contact her father."

"Mum--"

"You said he was your friend, didn't you?" Loretta said fiercely, snapping her head toward her daughter.

"Well, yes, but..." Aya looked at Pyr, a little lost as to what to do or say. She had said that--and she'd meant it--but...they still hardly knew one another. She couldn't expect him to just drop everything to help her.

Pyr blinked slowly at Loretta, pondering something. It was possible they did not quite understand what it was to ask a demon for something, anything really. Well, that was perhaps not so strange...most mortals got into trouble with demons because they did not actually understand as much as they thought they did about the process. Most demons took you at your word and did not care to verify if you truly understood what you were about to do - if you did not, that was entirely your own oversight.

Well, in the interest of 'friendship', he could at least endeavor to warn them again.

"You need not seem so desperate - there are once again many paths you may take, you need only decide on one. I...do feel like I must make myself explicitly clear, as I believe you may not understand as well as I had hoped. You do not ask a demon for anything without offering something in return. Naturally not everything needs to be bound with a Contract - there is plenty in small favors and things that can be bartered for without need for formalities. Our realm would be quite stymied by tedious negotiations otherwise. Regardless, the core rule remains the same - nothing for free."

Loretta took her seat, and after a moment, Aya sank into hers as well. "In that case," the lieutenant said slowly, carefully, "If we were to ask you this favor...what exactly would you want in return?" Sitting up a little straighter, she added, "Anything it is within my power to do or give, I would, if you promised to look after my daughter while she searches for Samuel."

"Hang on," Aya cut in softly, "if we're talking favors instead of Contracts--shouldn't I be the one asking?" She looked at Pyr, head tilted slightly. "Does that make a difference?"

Though her mother had been studying the occult practically all Aya's life--and now she knew why--Aya herself still only really had a basic understanding of demon deals. Pyr had said nothing came for free, and that she understood, it made sense with what little she already knew. But...well, were they anything like the Fae, where who was asking might matter almost as much as what was asked?

Ah, now Loretta was speaking with care, as though over-correcting due to the caution he had expounded upon. It wasn't necessary - he was not interested in tricking them, after all - but it was a good habit for the future so he opted not to point that out for now.
Before he could answer, Aya interjected, though to her he simply gave a small shake of the head.

"No, it does not matter unless you were intending to handle the negotiations yourself. Payment comes from the ones making an agreement - any other parties involved in the agreement matter little in that sense. However, as I am your 'friend', I will offer up information that ordinarily a demon would simply assume you already know - and would take advantage of if you did not. Please listen closely."

He held up one long pale finger, as if a teacher making sure his class was attentive, eyes on him.
"Demons function on a series of rules. We are creatures bound by service, for whom power is the ultimate deciding force. There are three main ways by which a demon will serve, if they are not subjugated outright by someone stronger. Striking a bargain is the first method, and the one you are considering. It is the simplest, least-formal method of exchange, and it is not binding. This means that much like mundane mortal contracts, there is nothing holding you to the agreement outside of such things like trust, honor, or consequences. Because this is so, we generally only make bargains for smaller things, where there is not much at stake, not much to really gain or lose. You could strike a bargain with me, if you kept your wishes and expectations quite low, and understood that if the task requires I meddle too much in this realm's affairs that I will not uphold my end. I will not say it is not possible for us to do this, just that it may not yield the results you are hoping for."

Loretta listened solemnly as he spoke, then nodded when he'd finished. "I understand, Pyr. Thank you for your information."

She took a breath, then laid her hands flat on the table in front of her, fingers splayed. Her eyes were steely with determination. "So. To bargain."

Aya found herself tensing slightly. Though Pyr had just explained why a bargain wasn't binding, and wasn't necessarily something to fear in this situation, she still felt...odd about her mother conducting what was essentially a form of negotiation--negotiation about her--in her stead. Maybe she would have argued the point further, but...honestly she was still rather exhausted from her power's awakening. She still felt sort of half-present, as though her mind had been cut in two, half of it sitting at the table with her mother and a demon, the other half with its attention turned inward, trying to familiarize itself with this strange-familiar feeling that now seemed to live just beneath her breastbone.

"If I ask you this favor," Loretta murmured, holding Pyr's gaze, "to watch over my daughter wherever the course of her life next takes her, to keep her safe to the best of your ability--what would you want in return?"

The shift in mood was felt by all, but perhaps most by Pyr. Some part of him, the part inexorably tied into what it was to be a demon, perked up and strained. But this was not a Contract, nor the third option, and there was nothing to bind them. The urge to do so was there all the same, but Pyr easily ignored it - for now it was best that they were all able to leave this table at any time they wished.

His lips pressed together, which for him was as close to a frown as he might get.
"Your request is too broad. Earlier today I struck a bargain with Aya - 'I will return this shed to its prior state, in exchange you will give me a tour of this place'. Simple enough, straight forward. I did not impose clarifications on Aya for what a 'tour' ought to include, or how long it should be, because I had no specific desires and bargains are meant to be somewhat relaxed. Leaving things vague works in this example, but your request is vague in a way that seeks to cover more, not less. How far? How long? Against what threats? To ask for the 'best of my ability' is not something one gives in a bargain - I do not think you understand what my best ability truly encompasses. I should also note that traveling alongside me is not inherently safe either - events like the ceiling beam falling happen with regularity, and affect those nearest me in time."

Loretta nodded, clearly considering his words. "I see. Thank you." She went quiet, brow slightly furrowed in thought.

Aya shifted slightly in her seat, opened her mouth, then closed it again. She remembered how Pyr had spoken in her mind, and found herself wondering if she could do the same—or if perhaps the connection was still there.

How does this...work? she tried, doing her best to think "at" him, though she couldn't necessarily explained exactly what that meant.

"What if I asked you to accompany Aya for...a month. And to protect her from earthly threats—ones not a result of...what we it was that happened with our ceiling. And, at the end of that month, should Aya still feel she requires your assistance, she may renegotiate a new bargain," Loretta offered after a few more moments.

The energy Pyr still had wrapped around Aya's own, a precautionary measure, faintly rippled as she awkwardly attempted to re-establish a path of communication. This was enough to alert him that something was going on, even if he did not know it was a deliberate attempt to get his attention.

"Is something wrong Aya? Your energy fluctuated."

Outwardly he showed not a single sign of having noticed anything, nor that he was speaking to Aya at all. His attention was still calmly in place with Loretta and her slow building out of a possible bargain.
He considered this most recent attempt, glad to see she was a fairly quick study overall.

"Better. The time frame is reasonable. Unfortunately, you have your threats mixed up. The misfortune that befalls me is of this realm. The threats to Aya you fear - angels and demons - are of other realms. I recommend you re-word this portion of your request."
Honestly the entire back and forth was beginning to feel like a teacher helping a student craft a document - pointing out mistakes, warning of loopholes, clarifying intention. It was a bit amusing to Pyr personally - most demons would never coach the other party after all, it was much better to take advantage where you could.

Aya tried not to give an external sign of her startlement that...well, it had worked. Sort of. He didn't seem to have heard her words, but he'd sensed something. Oh, shit. I mean-- She blushed slightly, though luckily her mother didn't seem to be paying enough attention to notice the incongruous gesture. I was...sort of experimenting, I guess. Trying to see if I could talk to you like this. I'm...just trying to get a sense of what this all is. What I can do.

Loretta raised her eyebrows slightly. "I see. I had rather assumed you...would not be willing to defend her from otherworldly threads. But, as you say." She dipped her head once, then tried again, "I would ask that you accompany Aya for the next month, and to protect her from any threats she may encounter not of a mundane, earthly nature, with the understanding that there may be forces outside your ability to counteract." She paused, then added, as she had in her previous proposal, "And, at the end of that month, should Aya still feel she requires your assistance, she may renegotiate a new bargain for herself."

"Ah, I understand. Very reasonable. I do not believe it impossible for you to master the art of speaking without spoken words - you seem to have had a skill for it with beasts already. Speaking in this manner with various sentient creatures takes practice, and many may be able to block your attempts - on that note, you may wish to learn how to do this yourself in the future. Shielding your mind is a useful skill."

Pyr nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement about the threats he would be 'willing' to face - her assumption was not misplaced, truly.
"That is a solid proposition, well done. I wish to note that your assumption is sound, and that it is my own personal circumstances that complicated matters. As I have mentioned - I am already under a Contract of sorts, and so I must still work within its confines while negotiating with you. It may seem strange, but it is far easier for me to interfere with other-realm influences. Ah, now then."

He rolled over the proposal in his mind a few times, considering. While he was certainly being far more lax than any demon had right to be, he did still desire a proper trade for his time and effort.
"I will say this is perhaps on the upper limits of what a 'bargain' might be considered, as I am greatly extending what I consider 'reasonable' for the sake of the bonds of friendship I have accepted from Aya. I only say this to warn you it would not likely be possible with other demons - I am an outlier in all ways, and would not want you to have mis-formed opinions on what is permissible with the vast majority of my kind. You are asking for something that, for both of you, is of rather great value - naturally this inspires an answering desire for value in return. And as I warned before, a bargain is not binding - either side can choose not to uphold their end, and would fear only what consequences the other party might enact. You...should realize that this puts you at a severe disadvantage, being the mortal. There is often a considerable power imbalance inherent to these negotiations, and it is rarely in the mortal's favor. I ask you keep this in mind should you ever negotiate with others."

Being one who had never truly had reason to negotiate with mortals, this experience was quickly becoming rather eye-opening as to why demons had such poor reputation in most realms. If most mortals were entering into negotiations without truly understanding all the rules and nuances, they were ever at a severe disadvantage that they likely didn't realize until it was too late. Pyr had always found the concept of demons being considered duplicitous rather odd, as there was perhaps no other being so firmly bound by their word - now he was realizing it was likely due in large part to a difference in perspective. Clearly what demons often saw as being shrewd and clever, mortals instead considered dishonest and misleading.

In any case, the truly difficult part was next - what might balance the scales against Aya's month-long safety from potential otherworldly attacks? It wasn't that Pyr thought this task particularly difficult or onerous - on the contrary it would likely be interesting, even enjoyable. The point was the value Loretta placed on this task, which was in actuality rather high. It was a bit troubling to think of something a fairly mundane mortal might be able to give him of similar value.

Ah. Fairly mundane. But not entirely. Loretta had a connection to a dragon, after all.
"Explain to me the nature of your connection to your dragon, please."

Yeah. Yeah, shielding seems like it would be really useful. Aya's mouth turned down into a slight frown, though it was more a thoughtful expression than anything else. Not that I don't appreciate all the help you've been giving me, but...it was kinda weird to just hear your voice in my head all of the sudden. I don't think I'd want just anyone doing that.

Loretta's own frown was similar, highlighting just how very alike she and her daughter were both in form and habitual behavior. She nodded along with Pyr again, though she snorted softly at his warnings--though it wasn't an inherently dismissive sound. "Believe me, serrah," she muttered, "I have no plans to engage in further bargaining with demons. Honestly, I'm still not sure I trust you; but Aya does, and I am willing to trust her."

The considering frown was replaced by brief surprise when he asked about her connection to her dragon. "My--Vitala? We...I'm not sure I understand what you're asking." Her frown was back. "Our connection was established mentally during my training when I first entered the military as a dragonrider. I had no specific beastspeaking skill, so we went through an intensive training course to forge and solidify the bond. If you mean...emotionally..." She pursed her lips. "Vitala is my partner. They are like a sibling to me, and I care for them deeply." She tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah, I apologize if I caused any discomfort. It is not a common ability in this realm, but as it seems you may end up dealing with angels and other demons at some point in the future, shielding would be wise as it is fairly common among us."

To Loretta's words, he was a bit disappointed. If that truly was the extent of it, he would not find much avenue for bargaining there.
"Hmm, is that all? A practiced two-way communication method and the familiarity of time and trust? I had hoped you were more touched by dragon influence than that - like a soulbond, or a connection to their magic, or even an exchange of flesh. No matter, it would only have made my attempts to find something of value to request from you easier, that is all."

Back to square one, such as it was. Something of value...something of value...what matched this mother's desire to see her daughter safe awhile longer? Parental connections were foreign to Pyr, and they were terribly inconsistent, but ones like Loretta's were quite powerful. It was fascinating, but at this moment also causing Pyr a bit of trouble. Hmm...though perhaps...therein might lay something of value...? Unique, if nothing else.
"Would you be willing to give up your womb?"

Oh, it's alright—I know you were only trying to help. And you have been helping me. Aya managed to catch his eye for a moment and offered a small smile to accompany the words. Thank you. Really. For...what you did earlier. Whatever that had been, exactly, it had certainly helped.

However, she had barely gotten the expression of gratitude out of her own head when Pyr was putting forward a suggested payment Loretta could give him, and both women promptly choked on their tea.

"My—what?" Loretta gaped at him for a moment. Then blinked and shook her head. "No—I mean, yes, yes, actually I would be entirely willing to give...that up in exchange, but..."

She glanced at her daughter, then shrugged, sighed, and asked with the attitude of someone long-suffering, "How much do you know about the human female reproductive system? Because I am nearly fifty years old now—my womb is not exactly in mint condition."

Aya choked again, half on a laugh, her face very red.

"You are quite welcome. I am only sorry I could not do more to alleviate your suffering."

And then both women were choking - not in a potentially lethal way, thankfully, but the synchronized nature was a bit odd. What were the odds an emotional reaction might cause them both to 'choke'...? Was that perhaps another mortal response? Fascinating, if not a bit worrisome.

Pyr blinked between the two women, blank-faced as always but clearly somewhat puzzled by their reactions.
"I admit I only have what is likely a very limited understanding - I have not yet been in this realm so long as to have learned all I might want to. As all of the human body deteriorates with age, I imagine your comment serves as a warning that your womb would likely not be capable of producing more offspring? This is not of concern - the value is that it is a womb that once carried a Nephilim."

Seemingly despite herself, Loretta chuckled a bit at his confusion. "Yes," she confirmed in answer to his question, "By my age, most human women cannot produce more children. Granted, I haven't seen a healer about that particular topic recently, but it hasn't exactly been a priority."

"Oh my gods," Aya muttered, dropping her face into her hands. She wouldn't say she was shy about these sorts of things--her mother had always been a very practical woman when it came to teaching her about how her body worked, and would work as she got older. But this was just...it was such a fundamentally odd conversation!

Ignoring her, Loretta continued, "But if you would still consider it of equal value for the favor I am asking, then yes. I would be willing to make that exchange."