Summoning Trouble [PRIVATE]

[Fable]

It was stuffy in the small two bedroom apartment due to all the candles her roommate had burning around the house.  Esme walked around the apartment blowing out various scented candles in irritation.  She'd reminded her over and over again that this was a fire hazard.  While Esme had renter's insurance, she'd much rather not risk death by fiery candle inferno.  She collected the numerous candles and was about the toss them all in the trashcan when she heard crying.  She placed the candles on one of the kitchen counter tops and sighed loudly as she made her way to her roommate Liz's room.  She didn't bother with knocking on the bedroom door since by this time these crying episodes were routine.  Liz had a dick for a boyfriend that resulted in an on-again-off-again relationship for the past six months.  Esme had already made it clear she disliked him the first time he made Liz cry, so now he avoided coming to the apartment.


"Broke up again, huh?" she asked as she leaned on the door frame.


Liz turned to look at Esme as she sniffled, nodded, then sobbed once more.  Esme rolled her eyes but moved to plop down onto the full size bed next to Liz.  She patted her friend on the back since there wasn't much else she could do for Liz besides be present.  After about fifteen minutes the sobbing turned to sniffling and then she eventually seemed to have calmed down.


"I'm not going to bother asking what it was about this time or lecture you.  This time we're getting smashed from TV drinking games," Esme stated with a you-can't-say-no look.


She dragged Liz out of the bedroom and into the sparsely furnished living room filled with mostly thrift shop and consignment items.  She maneuvered Liz - who didn't resist - to sit on the old futon that served as a couch and sometimes a bed to friends that were too drunk to drive.  With a few quick trips to the kitchen she came back armed with a bowl of popcorn, another bowl with chips, and a plethora of alcohol.  She turned on the TV and switched to the classics channel that played re-runs of shows like I Love Lucy and I Dream of Jeannie.  She ran back to the kitchen to grab a couple of shot glasses and set them down on the super tiny coffee table (well that's what they called it).


A couple of hours later they were both beyond saving and there were empty bottles on the floor.  Liz stumbled as she made her way into her bedroom and returned with a thick, black leather-bound book, barely making it back to the futon without tripping over herself.


"I'm going to curse him and you're helping," Liz proclaimed with slurred speech.


Esme couldn't help but crack up at the proclamation.  She'd never been into any of that type of stuff.  However, it seemed like it would be a funny ordeal and if it would help Liz feel better she would do it.  She rubbed her eyes and sniffed trying to muster some sobriety into herself.


"Fine, fine.  Whatever you say your witchiness," Esme drunkenly cackled at her own joke.


Soon enough the only light in the living room was provided by those same scented candles Esme had been trying to dispose of earlier.  Liz had pushed aside the mess from their drinking game and drew a large circle with various symbols with white chalk onto the poorly maintained hardwood floor.  It was a copy of the diagram from the spell Liz wanted to cast.


"What is this spell supposed to even do?"


"Grant a wish," Liz yawned out.  It was getting close to midnight and they were both starting to feel sluggish and tired.


"Where did you find that spell book thing anyway?  It looks legit for a prop," Esme asked as she snatched the book out of Liz's grasp, feeling a strange surge go through her.


"Some old dusty book store.  And it's called a grimoire," Liz answered irritably as she completed the chalk diagram.


Esme blinked a few times and squinted her eyes to read the tiny handwritten text that shared the page with the drawing.  It was probably the spell that was associated with it.  How Liz even knew what this spell was supposed to do was beyond her since it looked like it was written in Latin.  This whole thing made her want to shout out the word 'trope' because it seemed like it would fit into every witchcraft movie and TV show that ever existed.  Esme went to hand over the book to Liz, but had found her friend had passed out on the floor.


"Pft, all this work and you're not even going to do the spell," Esme grumbled to herself.


She looked back at the foreign words and laughed.  What harm could it do to play along and read the spell.  It was all a bunch of hocus pocus anyway.  She cleared her throat, mouthed the words a bit trying to figure out how they sounded, and then recited the incantation.  The flames of the candles all extinguished at the same time and the smoke produced seemed to create this hazy fog in the living room.  They had turned off all the lights for the ritual, so now Esme was left in pitch black darkness.  She fumbled around trying to find the box of matches or lighter they had used earlier for the candles.  In her search she crushed a small glass jar with her hand and cut into open her palm.  Cursing out loud and probably smearing blood all over the floor, she managed to find her zippo lighter and flicked it open to produce a small flame with barely enough light to see what was going on.  The candle smoke that should have long evaporated swirled the perimeter of the diagram and made it impossible to see what was at the center of the vortex.  She probably shouldn't have, but she stuck in her bloodied hand without really thinking and the next moment the smoke burst outward from the center of the diagram and revealed a dark figure.


"W-What the fuck?"

 

[Maevrys]

A bell chimed in the distance, bringing up Vaughn's eyes from his new toy. An angel who had betrayed her people had been cast out of her own realm and into his. The King had no interest in angels, for there was always the concern that they might purify the demon within. He no longer recognized the meaning of the bell and dismissed it. Nothing shall distract me from you, my dear. He purred the words into her mind. He had been working with her for hours, milking information about her kind and her people out of her ever-willing mouth. 


"I-I'll tell you anything, my lord," the angel cried and reached for him. "Just hold me in your arms."


No touching. He demanded into her mind, mentally punishing her for even thinking of it. She whimpered and looked down at the floor. When she had come to him, her wings had glowed with purity. Whatever small mistake had her cast out, she was still every bit an angel. But after the hours spent with him, her wings had dulled into a gray. They were no longer beautiful. He could already see streaks of black flowing through them. Soon the angel's transformation would be complete. His King would be pleased with him.


He went to delve into her mind once more and corrupt her memories further, but something caused him to freeze. The bell had chimed again, and with it, words followed. "Te voco mortalem regni." I summon you to the mortal realm. "Tu, qui aequalis est in te virtutem meam." You, who is equal to my power. "Exaudi vocem meam." Answer my call.


So long ago had he heard these words, but never did he expect to hear them again. Who was it that summoned him, pulling him away from his mental deflowering of this angel? He tried to resist. Take someone else! He demanded of the magic, but still it pulled on him. With a curse, he sent a mental command to his servants. They came to collect the angel and he succumbed to the power of the magic, closing his eyes.


When he opened them, his palace was gone. He was in a small room cloaked in darkness, but the darkness didn't harm his vision. This was his calling, and he could see very clearly. His eyes darted to the user, who held the book that summoned him. She was aflame in magical aura, but he sensed something not quite right. He found her to be beautiful, and wondered what it was this witch sought from him. Pushing through her natural barriers, he spoke into her mind. His voice was a privilege she didn't have the pleasure of. What is your desire?

 

[Fable]

Could you be so drunk as to hallucinate?  Was this alcohol poisoning?  There was no logical reason for whatever the hell had just occurred.  It was a mixture of being tired and drunk, it had to be.  Esme's mind was trying to explain the sudden appearance of this stranger in her living room.  Soon enough the gears started turning once again and she finally put together a decent explanation.  The candles had gone out and some weird had managed to sneak into their apartment.  However, what could have caused all the candles to go out at the same time?  It didn't matter, right now what did was the fact that there was some random guy in the middle of their apartment.  Liz was passed out cold on the floor and Esme was way too drunk to deal with this right now!


What is your desire?  


The voice in her head wasn't her own and the intrusion caused her to fall back onto her hands.  Since winced from the pressure on her wounded palm and stumbled around trying to get up with her terrible balance.  She moved herself to position herself between the stranger and Liz since her friend was completely vulnerable right now.  She clenched her fists and glared at the intruder.  Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she could make out his features better.  Something was strange about him, call it intuition, but something was very odd about him.  She would have taken a step back to increase the distance between them, but then she might step on Liz.


"Look, whoever the hell you are, how did you get into my apartment?  No - wait - I don't care, leave."


Thankfully her words didn't come out a slurred mess; adrenaline did wonders.  It was pushing aside her drunken stupor and allowing her to focus on the threat.  She tried to get into a more supportive stance so that if he charged at her she wouldn't be knocked down too easily.  She had only take one stupid self-defense class and probably wouldn't be able to execute a single defensive move against the guy, but maybe if she just looked like she knew how to fight he'd leave.  Her expression clearly showed she was pissed off and wary.  Her eyes glanced down at the empty bottles of alcohol and she mentally slapped herself for not thinking of grabbing one to use as a weapon.


"If you leave now without causing a fuss, then I won't have to try and force you to leave."

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234690


"Look, whoever the hell you are, how did you get into my apartment? No - wait - I don't care, leave."


Vaughn raised an eyebrow in amusement. He could hear the slur in her voice, see the wobble in her stature. She managed to summon him even in her current state? Alcohol was said to dampen the abilities of witches, cause it to be more sporadic and do less of what they want. Yet still, she was able to summon him. So disoriented, she didn't even realize that it was he who she called. 


"If you leave now without causing a fuss, then I won't have to try and force you to leave." She looked ready for a fight, but he knew she stood no chance against him. It seemed on top of drunkly summoning him, she also had a death wish. But alas, at least she'll provide good amusement fodder for my time here. He longed to be back in his palace, sucking away the innocence of that angel, turning her into a beast worthy of the king's affections. He was a master of corruption, and all those who were under his care in the past became quality playmates for the demon he served.


Witch, do you not recall summoning me only a moment ago? There was laughter in the words he pushed into her mind, and the demon graced her with his smile of amusement. Though, you don't seem to know what you desire currently. Eyeing the room, he was curious to explore without interference and suggested a command into her mind. Perhaps you should go to sleep... And we'll discuss the terms of our arrangement in the morning.

 

[Fable]

The stranger did not appear the least bit worried that she had threatened him.  That hadn't been part of her plan.  Usually she was pretty good at giving people deathglares that caused them to back off; without even a single word from her.  So to have this guy just so easily brush it off increased her worry.  It would just he her type of luck if he turned out to be some sort of serial killer.  She moved her foot to try and nudge her sleeping roommate who sprawled out on the floor.  Liz groaned, mumbled something about cursing her ex-boyfriend, then rolled over onto her side and under the futon.  Esme could have made a run to grab Liz's baseball bat which was kept next to the apartment door.  However, she stood her ground since that meant she had to first turn her back to him, and then would have to risk leaving Liz exposed to be dragged out from under the futon.


Witch, do you not recall summoning me only a moment ago?


The voice crept back into her mind, mockingly almost.  The smile that he gave her sent chills down her spine.  There was no way that this guy was the result of that stupid spell.  This was the real world and besides, Liz had specifically stated it was a spell that granted a wish.  However, Liz also didn't speak any Latin and probably used Google Translate to determine what the spells actually said.  That still didn't mean that she had actually somehow magically summoned a person into their apartment!  Witches and Wizards only existed in the fantasy section of books and films!


Though, you don't seem to know what you desire currently.


She wanted him gone, that was what she desired!  She'd already asked him that and he clearly wasn't budging.  Now he was looking around the apartment - though it wasn't like there was much that had a high value or was worth stealing.   Perhaps you should go to sleep... And we'll discuss the terms of our arrangement in the morning.   The voice came this time with an almost crushing fatigue.  Esme shook her head trying to fight off the sudden exhaustion that was slowly building up.  She clenched her still bleeding hand and the pain that shot through her jolted enough that she took a staggering, but aggressive, stop towards him, "Get out".  This time she wanted him out of her head.  In the end, she still had too much alcohol in her system and had been awake for far too long, so Esme ended up sagging down onto the floor.  She fought off the urge to sleep as best as she could, but ended up passing out and falling asleep, half-slumped against the futon she was using for a pillow.

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


He watched her collapse to the floor and waited until he could hear the evenness in her breathing. Finally, he sighed. He almost knelt down to pick her up but remembered himself and froze. Don't touch her. It echoed in his own mind like a whip slashing across his face. He went to find a blanket and in his search, stared at the female's home curiously. It had been so long since he was summoned, none of the architecture or designs of her home looked familiar. He wasn't even sure what time period this was. The two girls dressed in men's clothing and it was fitted to their bodies, so he could see every curve. There were no men in their home, and it made him wonder what the laws of their society were.


Eventually finding what seemed to be her room -- her scent was all over it -- he took a blanket from her bed and bundled it up, bringing it out and covering her with it. Once it was clear they wouldn't inadvertently touch, the male gathered her in his arms and took her back to her own room. He laid her down and tore off some of her bed sheet. Chanting a single spell over it, he wrapped it around her injured hand carefully so his magic could heal the wound and then closed her door, allowing her to sleep in peace. Sleep well, Aingeal.


Walking back out to the room they were previously in, he saw the other female laying on the floor and rolled his eyes. Fast forward 30 minutes later, both females were tucked safely in their beds and he was left to roam this new world. He took to reading the books they had to offer him. English, he mused as he absorbed the information. Luckily one of them had a history book, so he could learn what had happened while he was away. Women had the right to vote, marriages could happen between the same sex, and there was this thing he couldn't fully fathom called the internet. So many things to ask for... But there can only be one. By the time his stomach started to growl -- a condition of being in the human realm -- the sun had risen out of the sky. He knew his powers would fade from the female, that she would awaken. Hopefully he magic had been effective to rid her of the alcohol in her system. Smiling, he dissipated into smoke and waited until his master remembered that she had called for him.

 

[Fable]

Esme's phone was beeping loudly as her alarm went off.  She groaned into her pillow and untangled herself from her blanket to allow her hand to turn it off; or at least hit the snooze button.  She had forgotten to turn it off last night.  Wait, last night!  Esme jolted upright into a sitting position and looked around her room frantically.  Last night there had been some guy in their apartment.  Her brows furrowed in confusion as she wondered why she would be in her bedroom - in her bed - if someone had broken in while they had both been drunk.


She thought back on the events of last night.  Liz had been bawling over her asshole of an her again ex-boyfriend, they had played some drinking games and Liz wanted to curse him, Liz had passed out and Esme read from the book, she cut open her hand - her hand!  She looked down at the hand that should have been sliced open, but instead found it was wrapped in a ripped shred of her blanket and no wound in sight.  Nothing was making sense to her right now.


If that whole thing had been some drunken nightmare, she was going to avoid drinking for a while.  It had to be all a bad dream; logically.  She had been drunk, obviously to the point of not remembering all the details of the evening, and then thinking some guy had broken into their apartment.  She inhaled slowly and then exhaled.


"Just all in your head," she sighed to herself.


She stood up and stretched her arms above her head.  She wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she might as well get up.  She probably smelt awful anyway since she was still wearing her clothes from the night before.  She grabbed some clean and comfortable clothes - sweatpants and a tank top - and went into the small jack-and-jill bathroom that she shared with Liz.  Thirty minutes later she no longer smelled or looked like the drunken mess from last night.


It was only when she picked up her dirty clothes from the bathroom floor that the panic from last night returned.  It wasn't much, but it was still there; blood.  She dropped her clothes on the ground and dashed to the living room and saw the mess from last night.  The chalk diagram was still there as well as the broken jar, and smears and drops of blood on the floor that had dried and lost the crimson color.  Liz wasn't under the futon and Esme ran over to Liz's bedroom and flung open the door... to find her in her own bed.  Esme crept over and Liz was just dead asleep.  She quietly left the room and closed the door behind her.  Once the door was secured shut, she mouthed 'what the fuck' to herself.


Once she was in the center of the mess in the living room, she spoke louder, "What the fuck?"


She noticed the book - grimoire as Liz called it - on the floor and bent over to pick it up.  "This doesn't make any sense."  She flipped through the book trying to look for the spell that Liz had wanted to cast last night.  Now that she wasn't nearly brain dead from drinking, looking at it now the book actually looked authentic.  "How the hell did you get this Liz?"

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


He watched her awaken and look around her, as if trying to remember the previous night. His smoke form followed her physical form as she cleaned and prepared herself. It wasn't until she got to the room where she had summoned him that her mood changed, and he could feel the panic that set in. Still, he watched on quietly, trying to think through her actions. She hadn't called him yet, didn't ask for her wish to come true? Had it been an accident? Had he been called here unbeknownst to a human?


He hissed silently as he watched her pick up the book that summoned him. By the time he finished here, he would make sure to burn the book that witch had made and ensure no other witch every summoned him again. That he be called to the mortal realm for such a frivolous reason? Unacceptable! Yet the fact remained. He was here, and he could not leave until she made her wish. It couldn't be something as simple as her wanting him to leave, because what price could he ask of her from that?


No, Vaughn wouldn't be able to return until his new master made a wish. He supposed, then, he would wait until she wished something. Even a frivolous command would do, anything to take him back to his own world so he could complete his work for the King. It was a wonder this girl couldn't even sense him as his invisible form floated above her. If he had a physical form, he was so close he could reach out his hand to touch her, but the human had no idea. Master, he pushed the word into her thoughts quietly to see how she would react. Still he hid himself, not wanting to deal with the hysterics of the girl when she had seen him. 


@Fyuri

 

[Fable]

She wasn't sure where Liz had actually gotten this book, but normally wasn't something this old in a museum or something?  Once Liz was awake she'd ask her to tell her - in depth - where the hell she had managed to get such a weird book.  Her body shivered and it felt like someone was watching her, but it was probably just the eeriness getting to her.  She was a skeptic, but even she got unnerved at times.  All her thoughts were derailed when the voice from last night spoke once again.


Master


She darted into the kitchen and grabbed the biggest kitchen knife they owned.  She clutched the book to her chest with one arm and held the knife in her other hand.  "Whoever or whatever the hell is talking needs to show itself right now!"  Her heart was pounding in her chest due to the unknown presence and the threat it posed to her.  It was like she had been thrown into an episode of some suspense movie and she wasn't enjoying it at all.


"I don't know which is worse, this possibly being real or this being all some hallucination," she comment to herself.  She'd had night terrors before, so she was used to temporarily forgetting what was real and what wasn't, but she was wide awake right now, so this couldn't be a night terror.

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


The panic in her mildly amused him, though he knew that upsetting his new master would do no good. With a small roll of his eyes, he went from smoke to solid form. Only a few feet from her, he lounged on the futon in the room lazily. Don't worry, you're not hallucinating, my dear.


I am the demon you have summoned, the one who will grant you a wish. His eyes glanced at the knife in her hands and it vanished, reappearing back in the place she originally procured it from. While your weapon cannot harm me, I would not wish you to harm yourself. What is your wish, master? He felt no need to be verbal, perfectly content to ask her in her mind. It might shock or surprise the female, but his voice was for those worthy to hear it. Even his new master was not such a person.


Though, simply telling me to 'get out' will not suffice. I'm here until you have a true wish that I can fulfill, he paused, and then clarified further. One that will only come true should your heart truly wish it to, aingeal. He stood, and came face to face with the female, though he was at least a head taller than she. Humans were so small and fragile, and the sound of her heart beating in fear made him want to figure out exactly what it was that she feared so much.

 

[Fable]

Esme's body tensed as a tangible form appeared, lounging upon the futon in the living area.   Don't worry, you're not hallucinating, my dear.   Having a man suddenly appear before her and a voice in her head sort of went against the theory that she had finally snapped and lost her mind.  However, wasn't there a saying that said only insane people think they are sane?  She couldn't really think of what the exact words were right at this moment, but since she found all this to be very difficult to even consider real, she couldn't have killed off too many of her brain cells in their drinking binge last night.


I am the demon you have summoned, the one who will grant you a wish.  And the knife was gone.  She looked around for it and found it was as if she had never even grabbed it.  Her breathing quickened in reaction to feeling threatened and no way to defend herself.   While your weapon cannot harm me, I would not wish you to harm yourself. What is your wish, master?   She wouldn't know if it would have harmed him since she wouldn't be able to use it unless she tried to grab for it again.  Esme was also getting really irritated with this whole 'master' nonsense that - wait a minute - demon?!  She had summoned a demon?!  At that she looked down at the book she was grabbing - and planning to wield as a weapon if needed - and groaned out loud in agitation.  Being insane and simply believing she had summoned a demon was more appealing than having something like this actually happen.


Though, simply telling me to 'get out' will not suffice. I'm here until you have a true wish that I can fulfill.   One that will only come true should your heart truly wish it to, aingeal.  


Esme didn't want to back up since she could just get pinned between this demon and the wall, then she'd be really screwed.  So when he got closer to her, she managed to stand her ground.  "Stop talking to me in my mind.  And if get out doesn't work, how about get lost?  Fuck off?  Get the hell away from me?  I just read the stupid thing because this shit isn't supposed to be real!  And don't call me aingeal!"


She was panting now after yelling all that out at him.  "If this whole ordeal is anything like a trope, then I know better than the make some sort of wish with a demon.  Nothing is for free and I doubt I'd like whatever your price would be."

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


Then it appears we are at an impasse, Vaughn backed off as it clearly seemed to only make her more upset. He could hear her heartbeat thudding at him, filling him with her fear. The emotion was misplaced, and disgusting to feel. He'd never known fear, nor did he need to. This witch had nothing to fear from him, for the demon couldn't harm her unless that was her wish. Even so, he'd never had someone wish such a thing and wouldn't consider it a pleasant wish to fulfill. I cannot leave until I have fulfilled your wish.


He dissipated into smoke once more, wondering if his lack of form would scare her less. Until you have a wish you'd like me to fulfill, I can remain in this unseen form if you would prefer. There was a chuckle in his voice, mocking her for even thinking he would cause her harm. As you seem afraid I might hurt you.~


His eyes glanced over her, taking in her form and wondering what it is that instinct would call for him to demand. When she chose her wish, he need not ask a price of her until the task was completed. He didn't even really choose the price, magic would pull it out of him. It'd take all of his desires and tug out his own deepest desire, then sort through what the mortal could fulfill. At times when he'd named his price and received it, he hadn't fully understood its purpose until later. The only one fully in control was her. Vaughn had no power but that to protect himself with. 


Till that time, you could pretend I do not exist... That I am but a figment of your imagination, aingeal. Another chuckle in her mind, a sliver of sin as he whispered the rest into her mind. But I will be here -- very much real -- awaiting your desire. Then he remembered his stomach. ... And in need of  nutrients when you get the chance. He could always find his own food, but wasn't familiar with the appliances in her world. Watching her once would suffice, of course, but until then he was stuck allowing his stomach to eat itself. To himself and outside her mind, he thought: Hunger is such a needless thing.

 

[Fable]

Then it appears we are at an impasse.   I cannot leave until I have fulfilled your wish.


He backed off then, vanishing and unseen as he had been before.  That actually made her more uncomfortable since i was creepy to be watched by someone who was invisible.  At least if she saw him she would be able to keep her distance from him.  Now that she couldn't see him, her instincts immediately cried out for her to be more wary of her surroundings.


Even worse was that he said he could leave until he fulfilled her wish.  She hadn't been the one to want this in the first place.  She could just wish for whatever Liz wanted, but she was certain that she'd still be the one to 'pick up the bill' once it was done.  Then there was the whole thing with Liz.  If she found out that Esme had actually summoned a demon... best not to dwell on that right now.  Liz was still asleep and Esme needed to try and resolve this before she woke up.


Until you have a wish you'd like me to fulfill, I can remain in this unseen form if you would prefer.   As you seem afraid I might hurt you.~    Till that time, you could pretend I do not exist... That I am but a figment of your imagination, aingeal.


"Stop with the disappearing act," she stated a bit more boldly, "if we're going to talk.. if you can call this talking, we're doing it face to face. Also, seriously stop with that aingeal thing too or I swear I'll call you some stupid nickname."


She didn't vocally respond to his statement about hurting her.  Even if he had openly said he couldn't do so she wouldn't trust him.  She barely trusted normal people, so trusting him was out of the question.  She probably couldn't stop a demon from harming her if it tried, but she'd like to avoid making herself open to that possibility if she could.


But I will be here -- very much real -- awaiting your desire.


The whisper sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.  She really did not like this whole mind-talking thing.  Part of her wondered if he could read her thoughts and her eyes widened with the worry it was possible.  One of the few things that would make this worse for her would be if he could actually hear her thoughts.  Though how anyone could pick through the layers of her multitasking mind would have to be very skilled.  She could always test this out and think of the most annoying song and play it in her head.


And in need of nutrients when you get the chance.   Hunger is such a needless thing.


This... caught her off-guard and her tensed form relaxed just a fraction.  She wasn't sure how to deal with this demon anymore.  One moment he was corporeal and the next not.  He seemed to be toying with her one moment and now he was asking for food.  "If you swear that you won't try anything, like kill me or my roommate, I will consider giving you toast.. or something."  It was a weak bargain, but she had no idea how to negotiate with a demon!


"What do demons eat anyway?" she asked to herself more than to him.

 

[Maevrys]

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At her command, he took on a solid form once more but was careful to stay out of the invisible bubble she created for herself. He didn't want to cause her discomfort, though her reactions amused him. Intending to learn more about this witch, he knew he would have to tread carefully in this game. He made a seat for himself on the futon once again, relaxing into the cush piece of furniture. 


Very well, Master. I shall not call you aingeal anymore. Though she wasn't acting very master-like. She looked similar to the angel he had been with the evening before, her eyes holding such a similar glow of innocence as the angel's wings once had. His King might like a pet such as herself...


I will not harm you or your roommate, he chuckled. As if a thing like that were even possible. "What do demons eat anyway?" The question brought him into full laughter, careful to keep himself silent in reality but allowing his amusement to seep its way into her mind. I suppose you don't have any blood on you...?


All jokes aside, he was very curious to know what toast was. In the past, his summoners had tried to offer him blood as sustenance and had been met with disgust. Vaughn didn't usually need sustenance unless he took part in the human world. During this time, he needed the same nutrients that any human would need. I jest, of course... Master. I can eat anything a mortal such as yourself can eat.

 

[Fable]

When he reappeared she was much less disconcerted.  She could now know where he was while he was like this.  Of course, him being visible created some issue as well.  Liz would be able to see him and then she would question his presence.  She hated lying to Liz, but Liz would probably do something to piss him off.  And if he couldn't leave until he fulfilled a wish, then where the hell was he going to stay?  He couldn't just crash on their futon forever and like hell she'd let him sleep in her room.  He could probably unlock her door anyway since he was able to make the knife poof back to it's spot.


Very well, Master. I shall not call you aingeal anymore.


"Drop the whole Master thing too.  Besides, aren't women usually referred to as Madame or Mistress?  Don't answer that and don't call me those things either.  Just, call me Esme I guess, demon."


I will not harm you or your roommate.


"Oh, because I am totally going to trust your word," she grumbled.  She didn't even bother trying to hide her underhanded comment either.  The fear was slowly fading and being replaced by anger at this whole situation.  When this was over, she was gong to lecture Liz about taking home old books written in Latin.  She'd probably also burn that damn grimoire while she was at it too.


I suppose you don't have any blood on you...?


Esme turned to look at him to try and see if he was joking.  He could starve if he wanted to drink blood, that pr he'd have to deal with the meat juices that came from the steaks that neither she or Liz could afford.  Could he even starve?  Better to not go down that dark path of thinking.  Esme wouldn't let him starve, as much as he was probably evil and deserved it for all she knew.  She wasn't cruel like that.


I jest, of course... Master. I can eat anything a mortal such as yourself can eat.


She cautiously moved further into the small kitchen, making sure she didn't turn her back on him.  She placed the old book on one of the counters and grabbed the small loaf of bread.  She took out two slices of bread and popped them into the toaster, the entire time she was mentally trying to wrap her mind around server a demon toast on top of her other worries.  If he was expecting anything fancy, he was going to have to figure out how to deal with eating ramen and toast.


Her eyes wandered over to the grimoire, "Well, if this book can summon a demon... would there be something to send you back?  Banish you back to hell or something?  If that isn't an option then I'd rather just negotiate something to just get you to leave with as little damage as possible."

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


Vaughn grinned at her comment about being called mistress, and then the witch giving her his name. Such a rare gift! It wasn't often he learned the names of his contractors. Esme, he purred her name into the girl's mind. Beautiful name.


He watched her trail into another unit of the house and pull out something brown. It rustled inside an invisible film that seemed to protect it, and he found himself interested in the process she went through to make her meal. Putting two slices of what he identified as bread into a metal box, he watched them vanish as she pulled the lever. Curious, Vaughn moved to her side to stare into the metal box and saw they were still inside. They hadn't gone off to another universe like he originally thought.


Inside the metal box, it was hot, as though a fire was contained within. He backed away from her to give his master the space she wanted and his eyes widened as he watched the pieces of bread pop out of the metal box, giving off an aroma of freshly cooked bread. What an odd device, he mused in her thoughts. Usually making bread is such a tedious process, yet you did it almost instantly. Is this how you invest your magic?


Perhaps she was the sort of witch who enjoyed cooking with magic. It wasn't uncommon, but most witches with her kind of power didn't settle with just cooking magics. Their whole life was based around magic, but he could feel none of it in her home, not even in the metal contraption that cooked toast. I don't believe the witch who wrote this grimoire intended that the user would cast away her wish, Vaughn replied smoothly. And as I previously said, the wish will only come true if it's something you truly desire from deep within your heart.


As for the cost, he didn't know what to tell her, because he didn't know what the magic would think he'd want. Vaughn had very little desire for things. He wanted a good game to play and a warm place to sleep. Both were easily obtained, and nothing the price of a wish needed to fulfill.

 

[Fable]

Esme decided to ignore how he decided say her name.  She could deal with that, but being called aingeal and Master got on her nerves.  He was probably doing it to annoy her anyway, so reacting would just reward him for that effort.  


-


It didn't take very long to make this sort of basic thing, but when he moved over to watch the process, he looked fascinated with it.  She could only assume they didn't have toasters wherever he was from.  He seemed to remember to keep his distance so she didn't have to remind him to keep out of her personal space.  While the bread was toasting she turned on the coffee maker.  She filled the glass pot with water and poured into the back of the machine to heat.  She opened the cabinet above it to retrieve the ground coffee and coffee filters.  If there was one thing they had to make sure to never run out of, it was coffee.  She went through the routine of getting the coffee maker going and left it to brew.  She wasn't sure she should let the demon drink anything with caffeine.  The last thing she needed was for him to get hyper.


The bread popped out of the toaster and she grabbed the two slices held out one for him to take.   What an odd device .   Usually making bread is such a tedious process, yet you did it almost instantly. Is this how you invest your magic?   She was confused about his question.  "Invest my magic?  What are you talking about?  Until you popped up, I would have sworn nothing like magic could even exist."  She took a bite of her plain toast since they had run out of jam a while back.  "The toaster also isn't magical either.  It's an appliance that runs on electricity," she added after swallowing her food.


I don't believe the witch who wrote this grimoire intended that the user would cast away her wish.  And as I previously said, the wish will only come true if it's something you truly desire from deep within your heart.


"So I can't just ask for a penny and give you a penny?  Shit."


She didn't have a clue of what she would wish for.  There were basics, like money, power, or fame.  However, she didn't really desire any of those things.  Money was a possibility, she could pay off her debts and live comfortably, unless the price of that ruined it.  The phrase 'be careful what you wish for' slid into her thoughts.  And even then, if she did wish, would he grant it if it wasn't something she truly desired?  This was getting too complicated.


"I'd ask you what the previous wishes you granted were, and the price of those wishes, but that wouldn't help me.  So, looks like you'll just have to live among us mortals until I die or something."

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


Vaughn smelled the familiar stench of coffee and wrinkled his nose. He never understood how humans could drink something so bitter. At least tea had a sweetness to it. He wondered if the human was addicted to the bitter substance that helped keep humans awake through long hours even with so little previous sleep.


Taking a bite of the bread, he smiled at the texture and warmth. It had a nice flavor to it and he ate the piece of bread pretty quickly. It wouldn't be enough to fill him up, but since he was so new to food he supposed there would be no trouble in pacing himself. As soon as he finished the bread, his throat begged him for something else. Esme, do you have water?


It was so difficult to get water the last time he was around, because so much of it was polluted. If not water, some brandy will do.... He felt as though his body would die without liquid in it. Humans and their needs were so troublesome. How he longed to be without these requirements.


Ah, and if you choose not to make a wish.. then I shall remain by your side until I die. I cannot simply roam about, I am bound to you who cast me here. And the thought of remaining here by the side of a human he had little interest in didn't bode well. If he stayed too long, he would start to go insane with boredom and was sure to bring her life trouble. Every human had a desire. Even if it took some time, Vaughn was determined to find the desire of this human.

 

[Fable]

The coffee pot was almost completely filled with the dark black brew.  While dealing with this demon had jolted her system wide awake, if she didn't have at least one cup of coffee she'd probably go through a terrible caffeine withdrawal, not to mention she'd probably get hit with some tiredness later.  She pulled out a mug from the cabinet where she had gotten the supplies to make coffee.  It was a gift from Liz for her birthday; a black coffee cup with white letters that spelled out 'meh.'


Esme, do you have water?


If not water, some brandy will do....


Like hell she was going to give him any brandy!  Alcohol didn't come cheap and after last night she was pretty sure all the rum was gone.  It would take a long while to restock the amount they had consumed.  She sighed and without a word she stood up on her tip toes to reach for one of the clear glass cups.  They really needed to get a step stool or something, though doing this did probably work out her calf muscles.


She set the glass down and moved over to the fridge to pull out the pitcher that filtered the tap water they put in it.  The water from the tap tasted pretty awful on its own, probably because of how old the building and the pipes were.  She filled the cup with chilled water and then put the pitcher back into the fridge.


If he started to demand more of these types of things she was going to tell him to go find and job to pay for groceries.  She didn't have the leisure of being from a rich family, and had to earn money to live, so an additional mouth to feed was not in her budget.


Ah, and if you choose not to make a wish.. then I shall remain by your side until I die. I cannot simply roam about, I am bound to you who cast me here.


"Just great," she said sarcastically.  


"Since we're currently unable to resolve this problem at this time, some boundaries need to be set.  First, Liz is not allowed to know you even exist.  If she found out you were a real demon and I summoned you with that book, well, she'd probably ask you to do magic tricks non-stop.  That's on the light side of her possible reactions.  Secondly, you are to stay out of our bedrooms, the only exception to that is if you need to use the bathroom or the apartment is on fire.  Also, this whole talking in my head thing is getting old and invasive."


She turned to fill up her mug with coffee and then added some sugar and creamer to it.  She took a sip of the hot liquid and gave him a look over.  He was attractive, but he appearance could be a lie.  He could be some ugly beast for all she knew.  However, if he was going to be walking around outside, he'd need to appear more modern.  


"You could conjure yourself up whatever clothes you need right?"

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


Taking the glass full of clear liquid, he looked at where it came from and took a sip. It's cold, he purred into her mind. And so pure.. Like you, Esme.


He drank all of it, addicted to the sensations it offered. The substance was cold and fresh and tasted so good sliding down his throat. May I have some more? He handed her the glass again and waited patiently, eyes alight with wonder and curiosity. Perhaps his stay in the world wouldn't be so bad. After all, in the hundreds of years he'd been in the demon realm, the mortal one has changed immensely. He wondered how the humans in charge of his family name fared, if they kept all his affairs in order. He would have to pay the family a visit soon, but how to convince the human was the question..


So you are saying that when this Liz is awake, you want me to dissipate? He was being asked not to exist for her comfort. Such a selfish human he served, who wanted to lock him away and hide him as though he were something to be ashamed of. Most witches flaunted him, but she was obviously unlike most witches. Which brought him back to her question of magic. She was unaware of her abilities, and that only shocked him more. Unaware but still able to summon him! Or had his status fallen so low?


I have only the clothes on my person, Esme. He sighed. I have contacts in this world, if you are willing to take me to them. Where are we currently? The sooner he got to his contacts, the sooner he could appease his master in the matters she seemed to care about. Namely, his clothes. What was wrong with what he wore?

 

[Fable]

It's cold.   And so pure.. Like you, Esme.    May I have some more? 


Esme glared at him due to the demeanor of the voice he projected into her mind.  She didn't find it amusing in the slightest when he spoke to her like that.  She also was none too pleased when he asked her for more and tried handing her back the glass.


"You can get it yourself.  Unless a demon like yourself is scared of the fridge," she commented smugly.


"I'm not your servant.  If you want more water you can get it yourself."


She lifted the mug to her lips and drank more of her coffee.  Thankfully Liz was a heavy sleeper, but glancing at analog clock hanging on one of the kitchen walls, her alarm would probably be going off here in the next two hours since Liz had work today.  Esme still had the mess from last night to clean up too.


So you are saying that when this Liz is awake, you want me to dissipate? 


"Pretty much, unless you really want to have her pester you about everything.  At this point though I might just let her loose on you.  Your choice."


I have only the clothes on my person, Esme.   I have contacts in this world, if you are willing to take me to them. Where are we currently?


She had hoped he would have been able to create a wardrobe out of whatever abilities he had.  Esme was not going to spend her money on this spoiled demon.  At the mention of contacts, she was wondering if they reached out to them that they could find some way to void this whole contract - or whatever this was - with this demon.  However, he would probably expect her to pay for the fare to get there.


"Seattle, Washington."  She swore, he he said Salem, Oregon or something as the location of his contacts, she might end up laughing at the irony.  

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


He moved around her to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher with water, admiring how cool it was inside. Is this also... electricity? He poured himself more water and put the pitcher back into the large white box thing, closing it as though he were afraid all the cold would run away.


Vaughn didn't confirm or deny his intent to listen to her plans with her roommate, Liz. He had no desire to be tied down and hidden away. If anything, meeting this female might help further his plans. What if she were a witch too? Perhaps they could try a transfer of spells. It would only work between two witches, but was a common practice. A more powerful witch would summon the demon and the lesser would pay a fee for the wish.


America? He mused. And Washington too... Perfect. Thinking back to the family that served him, he tried to remember the name he had them take on. After a few minutes of sipping his water and thinking, it hit him. Do you know of a family named Tyrell? Little did he know that in the human world, it was a well-known shareholders' company that had invested lots of money into popular technological products today. It's even said that they own a portion of Apple, Samsung, and even Windows.


They would be my point of contact, he told his master. Oh it would be so convenient if there was a quicker way to find them.

 

[Fable]

She finished drinking her coffee as the demon refilled his glass with water.  She would have to refill the pitcher soon if he kept drinking so much.   Is this also... electricity?   Esme nodded as she put rinsed out her mug and placed it into the empty sink.  She'd deal with the dishes later.  Since he hadn't killed her yet, and was just proving to be more of a pest of a presence rather than an immediate threat, she made her way back to the living room and began picking up the candles that were on the floor.  They had dripped some wax onto the old wood flooring and she wasn't sure how she was going to get it off unless she scraped at it with a butter knife.


Do you know of a family named Tyrell?


Esme knew of a Tyrell, but it was more of a company than a family name.  There was no way he could be involved with them, could there.  She moved the candles over to the small table, careful to avoid stepping in the broken glass.  Which reminded her, she had cut her hand, so why was the wound gone?  It wouldn't make sense for a demon to heal a person, but she didn't know what else to think could have caused the injury to vanish.  She decided to just push that aside, it was probably too late to ask him about it anyway.


They would be my point of contact.   Oh it would be so convenient if there was a quicker way to find them.


"Well, you're probably going to have a hard time since you'd end up finding every single family that had that name.  I doubt it's so unique that there is only one family with it as a surname."


She went back into the kitchen to grab the broom and dustpan and set to work in sweeping up the shards of glass, crumbs, and dust from the floor around the diagram; the chalk fading away with every sweeping motion over it.  Esme sighed as she thought of losing their security deposit due to ruining the floor.  It wasn't like it had been in pristine condition when they moved in, but they had obviously made it much worse.


"If we find this family, will there be a way to just, send you on your way back to hell?  Also, if we do find them, don't even think that I am paying to send your ass to wherever they are."


She swept up the debris into the dust pan and dumped the junk into the small trash bin located in the kitchen.  She put the broom and dust pan back in their place and looked at the demon while crossing her arms over her chest.

 

[Maevrys]

View attachment 234997


You are ever so kind, he said sarcastically in response to her eagerness to get rid of him and her refusal to pay for anything when he sought out his family name for the sole purpose of providing for himself. But that won't be necessary. I can simply use magic to transport us to where we need to go. The only thing you must assist me with is a spell.


He used his own magic to summon a vial of liquid, one meant for this very purpose. Inside was the blood of the human who created the contract with him in the first place. Anyone with this human's blood would be automatically bound to him once the spell was done. Then he could find the humans and get what he needed. It would make his precious master so happy to know, he was sure. 


Growing increasingly annoyed with the girl, he dissipated into smoke. Your roommate is waking up, he mused to her. She might think him compliant and willing, but she would quickly find he intended to fight back against this girl and her all-mighty, selfish personality. What better way to introduce himself to her roommate than to come out of thin air. Vaughn was very intrigued by the idea and waited quietly.

 

[Fable]

You are ever so kind.


Oh, sarcasm from the demon now.  Esme was somewhat tempted to see how he would feel having a skillet come into contact with his face.  Would he get a broken nose?  Did demons bleed?  Esme wasn't normally a violent person, but he just got under her skin!  He was like a spoiled rich frat boy from Hell, who still expects everyone else do do what they want.


But that won't be necessary. I can simply use magic to transport us to where we need to go. The only thing you must assist me with is a spell.


"Whoa, time out," Esme began, putting her hands to do the time out hand gesture, "Why would I need to assist you with a spell?  The last spell I did summoned you."


The last thing she wanted or needed was to accidentally summon another demon and be in twice the amount of trouble she was currently in.  She still had to try and translate what exactly the spell was from last night, she wasn't going to start spouting spells without knowing everything there was to it.  When he summoned a vial of what looked like blood, Esme did not like the direct this whole spell conversation was heading.  However, before she could ask him what the vial was for, he informed her that Liz was waking up and vanished.


"And here I thought you didn't care about hiding in front of her," she stated with suspicion.


Liz's alarm had gone off and then went silent.  After a few minutes of shuffling sounds from the bedroom, Liz opened the door and looked at Esme as the poster child of a hangover.  "I think I threw up my liver," Liz stated before shuffling groggily towards the kitchen to acquire coffee.  Esme's eyes darted around the apartment trying to spot where the demon was lurking.