A/N: I know what you're all thinking. You're thinking, "But she doesn't write Naomily, and she claimed she retired from Skins fandom/fanfiction!" All I can say to that is, "True, and true." And I still claim I'm largely retired, however I had this idea, and then I got a few lines in my head, and it entertained me too much not to try to write it. I'm hoping I can make this like a three part thing, as otherwise I'm apt to lose interest and leave you with yet another unfinished story. I can't promise quick updates either, as I believe I'll be moving forward with the self-publishing avenue for my book really, really soon and that might take up a considerable amount of my time while I review my book once more. Anyway, I hope you'll all read and enjoy. :)
Oh, also, if you like Criminal Minds and/or Higher Ground, or you just like my writing and FitchSwitch's writing, we've got a fic started that we're co-authoring under the username TheBrainTwins called 'Out of the Darkness' that you should check out!
Disclaimer: I don't own Skins or anyone's souls…
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"You know you have minions for this, right?"
Her Supreme Evilness looked around at her second in command, Effeziel, High Duchess of Hell, with a raised eyebrow. She took in her slouched position and how it screamed, "I'm cool and I don't really care." Her long wavy brown hair hung in an attractively untidy way around her face, and her sharp blue eyes were unsurprisingly judgmental.
"Are you volunteering to go alone, Effy?"
"No." Effy shook her head firmly. "It's just people make such a fuss when they suspect you've come to Earth."
The Princess of Darkness finished unfastening the button she'd been working on – the one that made sure her white polo shirt revealed the perfect amount of cleavage to turn a man's (and the occasional woman's) head (preferably those of men in serious relationships). She snapped her fingers and a full length mirror appeared before her. She examined the full image. The six inch heels and short pleated skirt were a good combination, she decided. Her short, blonde hair had been curled up at the bottom just slightly and her piercing blue eyes appeared to be lined with dark eyeliner (though in truth it was really just a bit of scorching she managed with a blink, but the effect was rather attractive, she found). Pretty good, she thought.
She never understood why mortals were surprised to find out she looked like she did. Sure, the misogynists who wrote the Bible had given her a sex change, but it wasn't that she was female that most people had issues with. It was more the lack of horns, tail, pitchfork, and red skin, not that any of that was in the Bible either.
People never wanted to believe that demons, let alone the Devil, looked like, well…people. They expected them to look distinctly evil. She didn't know why, though, since people themselves came up with some of the most evil ideas around, and, as a whole, seemed far more motivated to implement them against mankind than the lower level demons, even.
"I said people seem to get jumpy when they suspect you walk among them," Effy repeated pointedly. "Preachy too."
"I heard you," Her Holy Heinousness snapped. She gave a little spin, keeping her eyes trained on the mirror thanks to a little bit of extra flexibility in her neck muscles, then turned to face Effy fully. "What do you think?"
"It's a bit school-girlish," Effy commented reproachfully.
"Good." She took in Effy's attire. It looked like the remains of what might have been a dress the last time she was on Earth, but that had been ripped and possibly a little singed before she'd made it back and was therefore considerable shorter. "Is that what you're wearing?"
"Consider it a fashion statement."
The Devil rolled her eyes.
"So what name are you going with this time? Another play on a female version of Lucifer? Lucinda again?"
"Nah. Something subtler, more normal this time, I think. What do you think of 'Naomi'?"
"It's a bit...average."
"Perfect. You know it spells 'I moan' backwards?"
Effeziel smirked.
"You're sticking with Effy?"
"Yep."
The newly named Naomi gave herself a last onceover in the mirror then watched it dissolve into ash. "Ready?"
"Are you sure we need to go? We're not really lacking in souls."
"It's good to get out in the world sometimes. Get some fresh air."
"People are too peppy and optimistic on Earth."
"Not once they've spent some time with us. Come on. It'll be fun."
With that, Naomi took off towards the Gates of Hell without looking back.
Effy sighed heavily, then pushed off the wall and followed after her.
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"What about that one?"
Naomi shook her head. "Cheating his business partner out of his money and his wife."
"That one?" Effy gestured half-heartedly to another man walking past, this one younger than the last.
"Given Chlamydia to four girls in four days...and one of his football teammates, actually. Naughty boy. He hasn't told any of them even though his doctor called him Monday about it. I'd say he's well on his way without our help."
"Okay, what about her?"
"Two abortions to hide a long time affair from her college sweetheart. Who, incidentally is cheating on her too."
"Infidelity is rampant here, isn't it?"
"Does seem so sometimes. Good for us, though."
"True. What about him?"
"Effy, are you even trying?"
"Hmm?"
"You just pointed to a man whose soul is already ours. He murdered a man last year over a drug deal gone bad?"
"Right. Well, sorry if my soul vision is overshadowed by my mind-numbing boredom. We've been sitting on this bench in..."
"Bristol," Naomi supplied.
"In Bristol for half an hour. You promised me some fun. Can we at least drink while we're at this?"
Naomi gave a small nod of her head and Effy smiled as the cool glass of a small bottle of expensive vodka materialised in her hand. "That's better." She took a big swig and closed her eyes as she felt the alcohol burn soothingly down her throat. Sure, she had to actively let alcohol affect her, but she enjoyed it immensely.
She opened her eyes and started studying people again, looking a little harder this time. A short girl with long, burgundy hair who was chatting to a group of people caught her eye. Her soul wasn't necessarily squeaky clean, but it certainly wasn't Hell-bound...yet, at least. "What about her?"
Naomi's gaze turned to where Effy was painting and she studied the girl in question. She was a pretty good candidate. Definitely corruptible. Just as she was about to agree on the selection, the girl stepped aside to reveal another girl who looked startlingly similar to the first, only generally mousier except for fiery red hair. Her soul was so pure it practically sparkled, but there was something in it, in her, that Naomi found herself instantly drawn to.
"No. The other one," Naomi chose.
"Which?"
"The redhead."
Effy smirked. "Good luck. She's virtually angelic."
"I like a challenge. Besides, she's twins with the other one. You can have your own pet project if you really want."
Effy's smirk faded and her eyes narrowed at Naomi. "I don't need pet projects. But it'll be fun to watch you fail at this one."
Naomi flashed a dangerous smile at Effy…One that reminded her of her place in all of this. "I don't fail, Effeziel."
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She'd watched the redhead for three days already, waiting for a time to catch her alone and make her initial introduction. It didn't happen, and Effy was getting bored again. Her interest in the sister's soul was the only thing keeping her from complaining constantly, Naomi was sure.
Emily (as she'd learned the redhead's name to be) was infuriatingly never alone. Never. Except in the bath, but it was hardly like Naomi could accidentally bump into her in her own bathroom (though it might prove fun). At the very least she was with her twin, apparently named Katie according to Effy, and Naomi couldn't quite understand it, as they seemed to have virtually nothing in common (if the bored expressions on Emily's face when she listened to Katie talk were any indication) and Emily didn't even seem to appreciate her sister's company very much. Emily lingered in the background, falling into her sister's shadow among their peers, but to Naomi her soul shone brightly like a beacon. It was fascinating, really. Naomi had never seen one exactly like it.
Sure, she'd seen her pure souls before, and it wasn't like Emily's didn't have the potential to be tarnished, but there was something so unique about it. She really wanted this soul and she wasn't even entirely sure why (though the goal was always to get more souls, so perhaps she didn't really need a reason).
"Excuse me, but, like, I've seen you around recently and, well, you seem cool, yeah? I'm Katie, and me and my mates are going to this party tonight. Supposed to be pretty crazy. Our mate Thommo's the DJ. You should, like come."
Naomi looked up from where she'd been contemplating her week's worth of observations to find Katie chatting to a rather bored looking Effy. Emily was standing just behind her, and, as Naomi took her in, her innocent brown eyes flicked in her direction.
"Is there going to be alcohol?" Effy asked, not looking directly at Katie, but rather at a non-existent point somewhere above her head. Naomi resisted the urge to smirk. Effy was so good at manipulating humans, and she barely had to try. Humans wanted attention and all she had to do was pretend to withhold it from them, and they fell over themselves practically begging her for it. It was embarrassing, really, not that the humans ever seemed to notice that.
"Um, of course! Plus, I've got MDMA and Cookie's always got his Uncle Keith's special blend on him," Katie replied, only seeming partially taken aback at Effy's lack of interest.
Naomi moved so that she was in Effy's eye line and gave her a pointed look to signify that she should keep Katie talking. This was the best opportunity she'd had yet to get in an introduction with Emily.
Effy nodded so imperceptibly that none of the mortals would've noticed, and Naomi made her move.
She subtly tilted her head to the side, fully aware that Emily's eyes were still trained on her. Emily nodded and stepped away from her sister in the direction that Naomi had indicated.
"And 'Cookie' would be…?" Naomi heard Effy asking as she fell into step beside Emily.
"I'm Naomi," Naomi introduced herself, the lie easily flowing from her tongue (which wasn't forked…another detail artists liked to get wrong in their renditions of the Devil).
"Emily. I've seen you and your friend around."
Now that they were a little ways off and fairly isolated, Emily seemed to be unwilling to look her way. That wouldn't do. It was so much harder to corrupt people when they wouldn't even make eye contact.
"We're new to the area." In that it wasn't called Bristol the last time I was here, her brain supplied.
"It's pretty nice…Some of it. It's a bit shit, really, but the party should be crazy, if you're into that type of thing."
"Aren't you?" Naomi asked, knowing the answer already. (She'd learned sometime early on that people didn't like it when you knew things before they told you. It made them suspicious far too fast.)
Emily shrugged, her eyes glued to the ground as they strolled leisurely still further from her sister and Effy. "It's more Katie's thing."
"So why are you going?"
"I've learned it's easier not to fight her. She gives me less hassle if I go with her, then disappear into the crowd than if I try to stay home by myself."
It was amazing, Naomi always thought, how much people were willing to share if people just asked. Sure, there was a point at which you were considered nosy or possibly up to no good (which, admittedly, she was), but for the most part people seemed to just want a chance to talk to someone who would actually listen. And listening, Naomi knew, was the best way to find out the perfect way to corrupt someone and gain their soul.
"What do you do once you've disappeared into the crowd, then?"
Emily shrugged again. "Dance sometimes. Or people watch. Keep an eye on Katie and make sure she doesn't get too wild or doesn't get into too much trouble."
"You sound like a good sister." And a good person. No wonder her soul shines so brightly.
Emily wrinkled up her nose. "Maybe. Doesn't mean I don't want to strangle her sometimes."
Naomi briefly contemplated that idea, then tossed it aside. Someone this pure wouldn't contemplate sororicide seriously enough to follow through on it. Besides, Effy might get a bit put out if Katie died before they got her soul, and every soul counted in the final tally.
"What do you like to do, then, Emily?"
Emily stopped in her tracks so quickly that Naomi had to twirl around to face her after she'd walked a pace too far.
"What?" Naomi asked, genuinely baffled in a way she hadn't been in centuries.
"I'm not sure anyone's ever asked me that before."
"Really? That can't be true."
"Everyone has just always assumed that I like the same things Katie does."
Quick to make assumptions. Yep, that certainly sounded like humanity. A bit of Naomi's own handiwork in there as well, perhaps. Not bad, really, although the look on Emily's face gave Naomi a second's pause. She shrugged it off quickly. She had a job to do and souls to collect. The longer she was on Earth, the longer she wasn't there making sure things in Hell ran horribly for everyone but herself and her council of high ranking demons. Effy had pointed out at several times during the week that they couldn't take forever at this expedition, and she wasn't wrong.
Then again, the finer things in life, like the adulteration of a particularly pure soul, couldn't be rushed. It was a finessed skill. "Well, what do you like to do, then? You still haven't told me."
Emily blushed and bit at her lower lip as her eyes finally rose to meet Naomi's. "I dunno. Reading, drawing…"
Naomi could tell that there was more to the list. There was definitely something more interesting at the forefront of Emily's mind, but she stopped herself and didn't say it.
"What else?" Naomi probed.
"Stuff."
"No, not just stuff. You had something specific in mind. What?" Naomi probed. She had a feeling that whatever Emily was holding back on might just be the key to getting her soul.
Emily shook her head firmly. "No I didn't."
Naomi watched the small tarnish of the lie appear on Emily's soul thoughtfully. It was still the brightest soul around, but now that she looked a little closer she could see other matching spots…other small lies. It was…interesting, she decided.
"Anyway, I only just met you and I don't know anything about you. Why should I be the only one to answer questions?"
Naomi grinned. This human was cleverer than most. "All right. Fair enough. Ask me something."
"Where are you from?"
"All over, really," Naomi replied. Not a lie either, she realised. That was a bit of a novelty.
"That's suitably vague. You said you just moved here. Where'd you move from?"
Naomi hadn't bothered coming up with somewhere, so she went with the first thing that came to mind. "London."
"Really? I love London. We hardly ever go, even though it's not really that far away. It's not that much fun going with Katie, anyway. She and Mum drag me to the shops. I never get to explore on my own."
"Well, you should go some time. Do what you want to do there."
Getting people to do what they really wanted to do was often a good first step in getting them to sin, Naomi had found. Perhaps if she could get Emily to London (which was a virtual breeding ground for sin, if her last trip there was anything to judge by, though admittedly it had been a few decades), then she could get Emily's soul a little faster.
Although…She'd just met Emily, and she had already proven herself a bit wary of strangers. No, London probably wouldn't work. Not in a timely manner, at least.
Emily shrugged. "Maybe. All right, next question."
"Yes?"
"Why have you been watching me?"
"Sorry?" Naomi was taken aback. She would have sworn that Emily hadn't once looked in her direction or noticed her. She and Effy had virtually perfected the art of observing while being unobserved over the millennia.
"You've been watching me. Or, I think you have. Most people watch Katie. She's the 'hot' twin and the 'cool' twin, but…well, it always seemed like you were…looking…at me." Emily's voice grew quieter and quieter until her last words were barely audible, and her cheeks flushed a bright pink.
Naomi, for possibly the first time ever, found herself a bit speechless. Lucky for her, lying came naturally to the Princess of Darkness, so her tongue was working on the covering up just how right Emily was before her brain had properly formulated it. "People who think they're cool rarely are," her mouth was saying before her brain caught up. "Besides," Naomi added, leaning in and lowering her voice seductively. "Who says Katie's the hot one?"
To her delight, Emily's cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of pink. Usually a line like that would only work on straight men or gay women, and Emily was…Oh.
A few things clicked into place in Naomi's head, and she grinned coyly at Emily. "Am I not allowed to watch a pretty girl when I see one?"
"I'm not…I mean, of course…I mean…" Emily mumbled, looking away and blushing so profusely Naomi briefly worried that her face would explode with all of the blood rushing to it, and she wouldn't get a chance to get Emily's soul.
Naomi glanced back to where Effy was still talking to Katie, and caught her giving her a look that suggested that Naomi should wrap up her conversation. Shame, really. She was enjoying making Emily blush. She leaned in and pushed a strand of hair behind Emily's ear, letting her fingers brush her cheek. Emily's blush flared into a bright red, and, at the same time, Naomi caught a vague fluctuation in her soul. Something impure was running through Emily's head, and Naomi couldn't have been happier about it. "You definitely are a pretty girl, Emily Fitch."
Emily cleared her throat and stepped away. "We should, um, we should…If my sister notices I'm off talking to you…I…We should get back."
Naomi grinned. "Okay." She kept pace with Emily, standing just close enough as to push into her personal space a little, but not close enough to touch her, and she noticed a few more fluctuations in Emily's soul. Perhaps her task wasn't going to be as difficult as she'd initially thought. Even the brightest souls had their weaknesses, and she had just discovered Emily's.
"So, are you going to come? To the party, I mean?" Emily asked just before they were back within earshot of her sister.
Naomi glanced at her, a tad surprised. "Yeah. Definitely. If you promise to take a little time off of being a good sister to dance with me."
One little moment of weakness. That was all she really needed. If people made one little allowance, it often led to bigger ones. It was the same sort of tactic that door-to-door salesman used when they showed up and asked for a glass of water. It was easy for someone to say yes to a small request, and once they had, then it was easier to make them say yes to something bigger. In this case, Naomi knew she would eventually ask for the biggest thing Emily had to give, and hopefully a dance would open the door for her.
Emily blushed again, softer this time. "Yeah. Okay. I mean, just one dance, right?"
"Of course," Naomi lied through her teeth.
"Okay, well, we'll see you tonight then, Effy," Katie was saying, looking inordinately pleased with herself. She looked around and saw Emily and her face tightened a bit. "Come on, Ems. Let's go shopping. I've got nothing good to wear and there isn't anything good in your whole wardrobe."
Naomi resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the twins walked away, though she did note the small peak Emily shot over her shoulder.
"Things go well, then?" Effy asked in the subtle way that made it seem like she wasn't remotely interested in the answer, though Naomi knew better.
"Not bad, actually."
"Bet I get the sister's soul before you get Miss Squeaky Clean's."
"What could you possibly have to bet, Effeziel? I already have your soul," Naomi grinned wickedly as she turned her gaze to Effy and matched her stare.
Effy blinked first. "How about if I get Katie's soul before you get Emily's, I don't have to accompany you on your next trip to Earth?"
"But then you'd miss out on all the fun," Naomi replied dryly.
"What about some more vodka, then? Top shelf."
Naomi sighed. "I don't know why you bother. Haven't you heard that you shouldn't gamble with the Devil?"
Effy shrugged. "I'm fairly certain the people who say that don't count you among their close friends."
"Is that what we are? Here I thought we were just following the hierarchy of Hell until someone better and smarter and stronger comes along and usurps your position," Naomi commented (though the truth was that over the centuries she had adopted a rather soft spot for Effy).
Effy smirked. "Like any of the demons we have down there could really do that."
Naomi grinned back. "All right, then, friend, you're on."
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It wasn't until she and Effy were back at the flat they'd blackmailed out of a crooked landlord that Naomi realised that Emily had never told her her last name, yet she'd used it. Hopefully Emily wouldn't notice that little overstep. She couldn't have her getting suspicious too early, after all.
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A/N: Reviews make me so much more likely to update (and probably to do so sooner, though I really shouldn't promise that), so feel free to click that little button and let me know what you thought!
Hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and to kelevra2510, will this suffice as a birthday present? :) xx