Reprogrammed (Hunter Angst)

Limited Resources, Wasted on Me

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Noon came quickly, much to Darius's relief and Hunter's displeasure. As they walked to Eda's, the adult could tell that Hunter was getting increasingly nervous. Darius tried to make casual conversation about anything and everything, but most of the time it fell flat. This was partially due to the fact that neither person was particularly keen on small talk. Darius much preferred to talk about important things. He had suspicions that Hunter felt much the same.

Eda welcomed them inside with all the love and excitement she could muster. She flashed a fanged grin at the two of them, chattering on about how excited she was to see Hunter, and how she was looking forward to Darius seeing the new portal.

The portal itself was... certainly a feat of engineering. The frame was composed of a mixture of Human Realm technology coupled with magical glyphs and other items. Hunter looked at it with a certain fondness that was interlaced with skepticism. The thing honestly looked like a pile of trash held together with zip ties.

"King! We need your godliness to get down here and get this show up and running!" Eda called.

Muffled groans came from upstairs as the little beast stirred from his afternoon snooze. Claws clacked against the hardwood floor, and soon the furry creature was downstairs. In his claws he held a human doll stuffy, presumably a gift from Luz. It looked homemade.

King stretched, yawning deeply. He greeted the other inhabitants of the room, toddled over to the portal frame, and took a deep breath. With glowing eyes, the little demon rested his little claws onto the frame of the portal. Instantly, it began to vibrate.

"Watch this," Eda said, leaning over to talk in Hunter's ear. "King, let 'er rip!"

"Weh!" With a deep and powerful breath, King sent a soundwave forward through the center of the frame. Space and time seemed to bend and warp with the sound of his bellow.

A strange spiral began to appear, like a bubble assuming the shape of the frame. Hunter and Darius watched in amazement as the portal took shape. Just as it all started, it was over. The portal sat open and waiting. Liquid galaxies and stars spun around, waiting for one of them to step into it.

"As much as I appreciate your awe, one of you needs to step through this thing because it is really hard to sustain." King prompted.

"Have fun, say hi to Camila for me. Tell Luz to come on through, we're doing arts and crafts this afternoon!" Eda said, gently pushing the two males towards the rift in reality. Together, they stepped through the portal.

The human realm looked the same as ever. Luz's quiet neighborhood street was covered in leaves, the trees finishing their descent into Fall. The late November air was chilly and crisp. Darius looked around, awestruck for just a moment, before he quickly fumbled around in the cloak he was wearing. From out of it, he pulled a beanie.

"I kinda forgot about that. You'd probably get quite a few stares with hair like yours," Hunter said, remarking on the slime mimicking hair on Darius's head. Darius huffed as he stuffed the beanie over his head.

"I work so hard to keep my hair looking this nice, and yet I have to cover it up to appease the standards of a few humans ."

"Yeah, yeah, don't be a drama queen. You can take it off when you get inside Mrs. Noceda's place." Hunter reminded him with a smile. He elbowed the older man's side, and together they took the short walk to Camila's.

Luz was waiting for them when they knocked. Instantly, she slammed open the door and threw herself on Hunter, squealing in delight to see her friend.