Unknown L (Book 1)

~~ Wow! Just, Wow! ~~

Bryce grew silent. He seemed to be rethinking what he'd said after she spoke, and L rested her chin in her hand. She felt more overwhelmed than she let on, but it was due to the fact she had nearly been attacked again. Another creature had come to take her away to who knows where, for some mysterious bounty. She must be worth quite a bit of money if that creature was to be believed, though it didn't make sense why someone would want her that badly.

"Alright, I'll relax if you will. You have five minutes to ask questions and stare at my beauty, that's it." Bryce smirked at her.

L raised her brow, she'd gone off the whole Elf topic, and she smiled casually at him.

"No, that's okay, I was thinking about other things, actually, but I do have one question about what just happened." Bryce seemed surprised by her lack of interest at first, though he gestured for her to go on. "How did you get help from here? We've been on this bus all day. Do you have some kind of telepathic communication or something?"

His surprise didn't stop him from laughing at her question. He shook his head and took a moment to answer through his laughter. 

"No, no, it was nothing like that... I used a mobile phone and texted for help."

L's jaw almost fell to the floor. In all the mess and confusion of this new world, she hadn't thought that the two worlds could overlap like that.

She saw Bryce watching her in amusement, and she half smiled. "I didn't think of that, I really thought you'd have some magical type of communication."

"Oh, we do, but it's possible for it to be intercepted or altered if it passed by the wrong creature. That lot never think of human technology either, and it works out great for us."

The surprise on L's face made him chuckle even more, and she realised the sense it made to use a mobile phone. She'd never had a mobile of her own. It wasn't as if she had anyone to call, so using one hadn't occurred to her.

"That's pretty cool then, I guess... but now what happens? And what was that thing that came after me this time?"

Bryce sobered up at her question, and he reached to put his beanie back on, pushing all of his hair back into it.  

"It was a Demon, pretty low level, so not much to worry about. It was the creature in the basket that concerned me the most and why I reached out for help. If it hadn't been for that, I would have taken him out myself."

L was almost afraid to ask, but she did it anyway, "What was in the basket?"

"If my senses were right, and they usually are, it was a Daeva. A particularly nasty Demon with no self-control, just like its master. It would have done unspeakable things if it had been set free and not just to you. I couldn't be sure I would be able to fight both of them in such a confined space, and I didn't want to risk the Daeva getting anywhere near you..."

He trailed off, and L knew she didn't want to hear what would have happened if it had gotten to her; her mind was already conjuring up images she didn't need, and she shivered lightly.

"So what now? Are we okay, or are we getting off soon?"

Bryce peered around, and L followed his gaze. The rest of the bus looked calm, like nothing remotely dangerous had just happened. L guessed they must get things like that all the time.

She saw someone appear from seats she was sure weren't there before; it seemed to be an old woman with terribly messy hair, a dirty dress, and a battered shawl covering her shoulders. L watched her hobble off of the bus once it stopped, and then they were underway again. They'd been travelling all day, and the sun was starting to set.