•Y/N: Your Name
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Your POV:
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When the morning came, I struggled to open my eyes, as my lids were heavy from sleep, and when at last I could see, it took me a moment to recognize the room I am in. I don't bother to move from my comfy position. I'm quite content where I am. I shut my eyes again with a tiny smile as I bury my face further into the pillow.
'So soft.' A yawn escapes me as my body attempts to fall back into the arms of sleep only to be disturbed by the sound of a deep chuckle.
"Up at last? Good morning, Y/N." Groaning a little, I pry open my eyes to stare at the figure now standing next to the bed. I can make out his charming smile and kind, dark eyes as I blink to focus my sight. "Did you sleep well?" I smile at my demon friend who leans over to be closer to me with his elbows supporting his weight on the mattress.
I see he is still dressed in what he wore to bed last night and his hair is a mess, so he must've woken recently as well. I nod my head lazily with half-lidded eyes, still in a sleepy state, which caused him to crack a smile. My attention, then, wanders from his face to his torso, and I take note of the details of it. Mephistopheles has broad shoulders and, though his body is so thin and stretched, he holds muscle in his arms and chest. I found it hard not to stare at times when he looks like this.
It is not the form I'm used to at all, and yet, I still found it appealing in some aspects. It's new and different. With every new day, I find myself more and more attracted to it, really, which is a good thing. I didn't want to be scared looking at his true body, and thankfully, that fear had worn off greatly since the day he revealed himself to me. "Good," is all he says as he stands up straight before turning and walking into the bathroom.
I can still see him from where I am. He did not shut the door, allowing me to watch him get ready for the day. He stood in front of the mirror, fixing his unruly hair with a brush before dressing in the clothes kept in a pile on the sink counter that he likely put there before I woke up. I felt a little shy as he brought down his pants to replace them with black slacks held up by a leather belt with a gold buckle, though, he keeps his tank top on to put a black button-up over it. He leaves it undone for now as he reaches for a container of hair gel to slick back the raven locks.
Then, something new happened. A smoke-like tendril rose from the shadow under his feet, climbing his body like a snake, as he slicked his hair back for a change, but the waves in the strands were still apparent. The dark matter shoots off his shoulder towards one of the cabinets to retrieve a bottle of cologne, which it brings back to the man before spritzing a light amount onto him. As this happens, another shadow emerges from the wall to pick up a toothbrush and prepare it for use before cleaning his pearly white teeth. Meanwhile, Mephistopheles concerns himself with dealing with the buttons on his shirt. Finished, the shadows retreat back to their original state as the demon comes out of the bathroom. Now, new ones arise from the dark corners of the room to bring him sharp, heeled black boots, which are then slipped onto his feet before the shadow splits to tie the laces neatly.
As this happens, his coat is taken off the rack by other shadows and put on, left open, while another ties a white, silk tie around his neck. I was in awe, woken fully by the display as the tendrils disappear, and give a low whistle to show I was impressed. He smiles while taking a seat on the bed, beside me, and places a hand on my head. I melt into the icy touch, which was welcome in the heat of the room, as he speaks. "I sent for Ramsey to find you some clothes. He should be here soon."
"Okay," I answer quietly as I shut my eyes again.
"Don't get too comfortable. You're meeting my friend today, remember? We'll leave as soon as you're ready." I groan out in frustration as I gaze up at him, which he found amusing.
"Right, I forgot." I force myself to get up and vigorously rub my eyes to get rid of any lingering tiredness. "Who are they anyway?"
"You'll see," he states simply with a smirk as he stands, which makes me frown.
"Well, that was vague," I comment, a little annoyed by the mystery. A knock at the door gains our attention, and Mephistopheles answers it. He pulls open the door to reveal Ramsey who steps in with a cart. The familiar picks up a pile of clothes from it before carrying them over to me, which I thank him for before examining the outfit. There is a lovely, dark blouse accented with white lace on the bottoms of the long, sheer sleeves and on parts of the torso, black fitted pants and boots.
"Oh, wow," I mutter, absolutely loving the look.
"Good. I'm glad you like it. I was going to ask him to bring a dress, but I didn't want you feeling uncomfortable if we were to encounter a lust demon on the way to him." Mephistopheles gives a nod to the ram demon, who bows before taking his leave, but he leaves the cart behind.
'This person must be someone important if he wants me to dress up to meet them.' This, admittedly, made me a little nervous, but I'm also excited to meet this friend of his. I couldn't help but wonder who they are, what they look like or how they act. I run my fingers over the fabric of the clothes, noting that the material was made to allow ventilation, meaning they wouldn't be too hot to wear, which is a relief. Hopefully, I'll be able to get something more cooling later on, though. Then, something occurred to me.
"Hold on, can't you teleport? Wouldn't it just be easier to go to them that way, rather than worry about those types of demons?" I question while setting the clothes on my lap.
"Well, yes, but I can't do that here. There is a spell put on the castle that doesn't allow things like teleportation or the creation of portals inside the property lines. It's so no one living outside the building can wander in without having an invitation to do so and also for the sake of privacy, so no one comes into anyone's room unannounced."
"Really? I suppose that would make sense." I hum, intrigued to learn more about this place and its rules. I should've guessed there'd be regulations regarding certain powers for the demons to live comfortably. Smiling, Mephistopheles offers his hand to help me off the bed, like a gentleman.
"I'll teach you more as you settle in. For now, just concern yourself with getting ready. Feel free to use anything in the bathroom if you need to." All I do is nod as I accept his leathery claw and take the clothes with me to the bathroom to get changed. Once dressed, I look over the items at my disposal before picking up his brush. I run it through the tangles in my hair before growing curious about the bottle of cologne left out on the counter. I spray a little on my wrist before giving it a sniff and am pleased by the scent that greeted me; that familiar orange zest I could smell whenever Mephistopheles got close to me. It was mixed with a light dose of cinnamon, which made it a little sweet and intoxicating. It was almost enough to make me hungry. I look up and meet my somewhat worried orbs in the reflection of the mirror.
'I hope I don't embarrass myself in some kind of way if this guy really is important. Mephistopheles will be with me, so I'm sure it'll be okay.' I sigh heavily and play with my hair a bit to style it in a way I like using what I could find. I can't help feeling anxious. Even Mephistopheles dressed himself up to meet this person, and he did tell me most demons aren't kind to humans.
I trust him to keep me safe, though. I leave the bathroom once I'm ready and find breakfast prepared at the table, where my companion sits. There's just one plate, and it appears it's not for him because it's placed in front of another chair. I come closer and sit in the vacant seat before looking down at the meal of scrambled eggs, kielbasa and a piece of buttered toast with water to drink. The demon's eyes are closed — a look I'm rather familiar with.
He seems relaxed, but his brows are a bit scrunched, showing he's thinking about something. I set a hand on his to break him out of it, successfully bringing his attention to me. My concern wipes away when he smiles and raises the hand I touched him with to his lips. My heart flutters as I pick up a fork, allowing him to hold and massage the hand with his thumb as I eat.
"Be sure to eat quickly. He doesn't like it when I'm late."
"Okay. How much time do I have exactly?" Humming, he checks the time.
"Twenty minuets, maybe." I nod and fill my belly with the delicious food as he watches me eat. I wipe my mouth with a cloth napkin when I'm done, satisfied with my meal. The food is by far my favorite thing about this place so far. "Ready?" I nod and get up, so does he. "Stay close, and try not to worry about the demons we pass. If you feel frightened, just look away from them."
"I'll be all right," I assure. Smiling, he bends down to plant a kiss on the top of my head before tucking away a stray hair of mine. The action brought a touch of heat to my cheeks, which made him smile even wider as he offers his arm.
"Let's go, then." I wrap my arms around his before he escorts me out. He locks the door behind us before guiding me down the winding hallways, which appear to be empty for the most part. We go down the steps to the second floor and turn a corner, but then, Mephistopheles stopped abruptly before pushing me behind him some as a demon strolls towards us. There was not much I found peculiar about him; in fact he looks mostly normal.
He's taller than me, but not as tall as the man at my side, with shaggy, black hair striped with grey highlights. He wears a flat expression on his pale face, but I could not see the color of his eyes, for they are hidden behind a black blindfold. I was instantly struck by a strong, negative energy upon looking at him, enough to make my knees weak with fear as he walked closer. It was much different than the aura any of the other demons carried; instead it was much like Mephistopheles. He must be powerful.
The stranger halts right across from us, head pointed down, which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Very slowly, he looks our way, causing my body to involuntarily shudder with fear. Why am I so scared? He didn't even do anything threatening. I jump when my companion growls lowly at the demon in warning with all four of his eyes narrowed. The newcomer sniffs before something purple flicks between his lips as quick as lightning.
'Is that a tongue?' Sure enough, it is. The tips of his forked tongue fly out of his mouth as he sniffs again. His upper lip twitched, revealing the sharp ends of his teeth, and I gulp, taking Mephistopheles' advice to look away. I hear him huff before soft footsteps travel further down the hall. The both of us visibly relax once the stranger is out of sight.
"Keep moving." I tense as he places a hand on my back to usher me forward and couldn't resist looking back to where the other demon disappeared to. I just couldn't seem to forget that unsettling presence. I look up at my guide and find his eyes still narrowed, like his mood had soured from the encounter.
'He got so defensive when he saw him.' I understood, of course, especially after sensing that powerful aura, but it made me wonder if he knows who he is.
"M... Mephistopheles, who was that?" I ask in a low whisper, his true name feeling strange on my tongue. It's the first time I've said it aloud. I was afraid I might mispronounce it, and it wasn't the name I knew him by, so I'm not quite used to it either. Breaking out of his thoughts, the demon looks down at me.
"If you don't want to use my full name, you don't have to. Phil is fine," he assures, noting my uncertainty when using his name. Smiling slightly, I nod my head.
"Thank you."
"His name is Cain," he answers through gritted teeth while facing forward again. "I don't want you interacting with him under any circumstance, understand?"
"Why? What did he do?" The man takes a deep breath and sighs, seeming really agitated.
"It's a long story, and I'd rather not relive it. It doesn't matter anyways. He can't do much in the state he's in."
"What do you mean?" I raise a brow at him, wondering why he won't give me a straight answer. Is what he did really so terrible? Phil seems to grow even more irritated and gives me a look of annoyance that takes me aback. I look down, realizing I'm pushing too much on this. His eyes soften as he breathes out a gentle sigh, his muscles relaxing as we stop walking.
"Sorry, it's just that every time I see him, my blood boils. I don't really like talking about it, but... You saw the blindfold, yes?" I nod, urging him to continue. "His eyes are the root of his ability. Without them, he is practically powerless, or at least less dangerous. I had to make the blindfold out of shadow to keep him from taking it off, so only I can remove it. The bottom line is: we both strongly dislike each other, and I don't want you getting mixed into it. He's a revenge seeker and I don't want you getting hurt," he explains. I nod to show him I understand and apologize for riling him up.
"Sorry if I'm asking too many questions. I didn't mean to upset you," I state truthfully. He looks down at me with a kind smile and lifts my chin to meet his gaze.
"That's all right. Humans are curious by nature. You can't help it. I didn't mean to act snippy, but it slipped. It's all right to ask questions, just understand that there are certain things that are difficult for me to tell someone, even if that someone is you." He leans forward and kisses my forehead before taking my hand in his. "Let's forget about him now. We'll be late." I don't resist in any way as he pulls me further down the hallway, but the moment we came across a certain tapestry, my stomach dropped.
'No, not there.' I gaze up at Phil worriedly, too afraid to take another step closer towards the disturbing image. He noticed my reaction quickly and comforted me by squeezing my hand a little tighter.
"I'm here. Don't be afraid," he whispers softly before making a sweeping motion with his hand.
The shadows rose from his feet and forced the tapestry aside to reveal the entrance hidden behind.