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."
