Intangibly Yours | Chaelisa

18 | ghosts and ghouls

"You make being a demon sound like a job..." Vanessa commented after weaseling away from his side and coming to her other instead. "I heard demons just scare people and ghost alike for shits-n-giggles?"

"Maybe you heard wrong?" Elijah came ahead of them and backpedaled so they could face one another. "Tell me Roseanne, hun, what diabolical things have I done that you've personally had the liberty of witnessing?"

"Oh well... we haven't spent any real time together so I guess none, but I have heard-"

"Nuh-uh-uh, I said witness and you said none. And I promise you both ladies, ask anyone in this city what sort of horrible things they've seen me do and all they'll be able to say is scared a babe or two." Elijah stopped walking. "Huh, that rhymed. I'm even more dazzling than I thought."

She actually chuckled at his comment and watched as he swirled back around and walked with a confidence that she assumed only an untouchable demon could hold.

His back seemed to also be captivating Vanessa's eyes from beside her. "I don't get it." Auburn hair brushed against hers as Ness leaned in. "My friends always told me that the only way you can become a demon is by being so sickeningly sinister while being alive that your evilness gets bound to this realm when you die, or some shit like that. You're becoming a demon, sure, but you don't really resemble what was left of the person before."

Roseanne thought back to the demons she's seen, ones who've made their faces morph and skin turn to sludge in ways of scaring onlookers. "But Elijah seems so..."

"Normal." Vanessa finished. "I know. I don't get it."

"You done talking about me mates?" Elijah called from over his shoulder. "You know you can't believe everything your friends say..." He looked back to the pavement ahead of him, grumbling under breath. "Sometimes they're not even your friends at all..."

"Hm?" Roseanne hummed as the two rejoined him.

"Oh nothing, gorgeous." He grinned. Now looking past her and towards her acquaintance. "Sorry, I don't believe I caught your name?"

"Vanessa."

"Ah... Vanessa. You know, I've been meaning to say... you look, familiar? I've seen you before... you're the one who's usually admiring that bar down on Main, yeah? Gazing at its brilliant... uh, wall?"

"Not the wall but yeah... sounds like me. How come I haven't seen you before?"

"What? Just because I'm not making grown adults cry or scaring their ankle-biters, suddenly I'm invisible?"

"Not what she meant Elijah." She shook her head, though a smile was tugging at her lips. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm surprisingly enjoying our conversation tonight, given I thought you were- uh..."

"A douche? As the others so happily like to call me." He rolled his eyes. "Yeri at least sees my charms. You know... when she wants to... The others, well I suppose they believe whatever they want to believe. Or they're jealous. Because like we've discussed..." He pointed to himself with his thumbs. "... devilishly handsome."

She and Vanessa looked to one another, rolling their eyes then chuckling at the act as Elijah scoffed.

"So..." Vanessa started. "I have this feeling we're not going to be running into your friend tonight."

"Yeah, I unfortunately agree too."

"Really wanted to find her huh?" Elijah questioned. "How come?"

"Just wanted to talk with her about Lisa, I suppose, catch her up to speed."

"Lisa?" Elijah and Vanessa both repeated, before he had a lightbulb moment. "Ah, so she's the one Yeri was talking about a few days ago..."

"Really? What was she saying?"