"…"

"…"

"WHAT!" I yelled.

She looked around. "Keep your voice down." She whispered. "And was it really that shocking?"

I replied in an angry whisper. "Yes, yes, it was. No one, and I mean NO ONE, ever asked that of me before."

She smiled and said, "Well, it's good to try new things, isn't it?"

"I'm a demon! Not some lovesick human!"

She tilted her head. "Well, you don't have to fall in love with me, do you? It's just the other way around." She grinned. "I thought that demons could do anything." She teased.

"I just…What? What are talking about? Of course I can make you fall in love with me. It'll be easy. But are you sure this is your wish?" I asked nervously. The truth was, I didn't know whether I could make her love me. I don't understand human emotions… But I needed that soul, and if that was her wish, I would fulfill it, no matter what the cost.

She smiled sadly. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Right then." I answered. "I must leave you with a mark of some sort, a sign of the contract between us."

She tilted her head. "How do you do that?" She questioned.

"Where do you want the mark?" I said, as a way of explanation.

"Hmm.. Ah, I got it. Something poetic, I guess." She began unbuttoning her dress from the back.

"Wait! What are you doing!" I held out my hand in the universal gesture.

"Over my heart. Pervert." She shook her head. "Can you help me with this?" She gestured to her back.

If demons could blush, I'd be blushing right now. "Alright." I brushed her long hair out of the way gently, and began to work. "To what extent?" I asked.

"Fifth, I guess." I finished, and gently turned her around. She was kind of tense, and hunched over. Maybe I could understand why, but I could still see her underwear.

"White," I commented. She glared at me. "You really are a pervert. Just get on with it." I gently removed her hands, and she blushed. "You are quite flat-chested, aren't you?" I asked, smiling.

She closed her eyes, and her hands clenched into fists. "I would hit you right now if you weren't a demon." She said.

I smiled wider, but pressed my hand against her smooth white skin, right on her heart. A burst of darkness flared out, and she screamed. But it was done, and I could see the distinctive emblem with my star and ring around it. It glowed a faint purple. "Done." I smiled cheerfully. I flexed my hand that contained my own contract emblem, concealed in a black glove.

She lay on the ground, but she looked at me, and said, "Do you have a name?" It seemed like she was adamantly going to refuse to talk about what happened, which was fine by me. She gathered her clothes around her. I knelt on the ground next to her, and began to help her button back her dress while I talked.

I shook my head and answered with, "Demons don't have names, but you can call me anything you want."

"Oh! What about Lucien? And mine's Ivory, by the way."

Ivory…Like her hair. "Why Lucien? Isn't that French? That's not very Patriotic for someone that's English." I said.

She looked at me funny, and replied cautiously, "How do you know we're in England?" She shook her head. "And Lucien's my father's name. He was French, but he married my mother, an English noblewoman."

"For your first question, I would know England blindfolded. I've been here for centuries. It's my home, of a sort. At least in the human realm, that is." At this, she shook her head again, and murmured something about not wanting to know. "Continuing on, won't it be hard on your household to have two people with the same name?"

She picked up a strand of hair again, and answered with clear eyes, "My father's dead, as well as my mother, and everyone I knew in this God-damned land."

I was taken back. "I'm…I'm sorry."

She snorted. "Not your fault, is it? And don't be. They've been dead for years."

Maybe I can understand better why she might commit suicide now. I thought to myself. i said then to her, "Well, you have a house don't you? Why don't we go now."

She looked over the water, at it's forbidding depths, and smiled. "Yeah, let's."

Some time after that, we arrived at a huge mansion, deep within the recesses of a great forest, probably one of the last standing. It looked very run-down, though probably not that old, due to the fact that I had never seen some of the materials that made it. Though that wasn't saying much; it had been a long time since I'd been in the human realm. But we'd probably walked at least three miles on the forest path alone, and before that there was a huge park. I was a demon, so I wasn't out of breath, but the girl, Ivory, didn't even seem shaken. "Do this a lot?" I asked.

"Well, yes, since this is my house." She replied.

I looked at it more closely. Yes, it could be, for none of the parts were rotting yet, it couldn't have been in disrepair for too long, but there was moss and another plants growing on the sides. It must've taken at least five years or so for that to happen. Just how long has this girl been parentless? I glanced at her sidelong.

"Do you want me to fix it for you?" I asked.

Her eyes widened. "You can do that? That's amazing!" She exclaimed. I smiled secretly. The first way to get a human to like you is admiration, and then I'd figure the rest out on the way. I prepared to use my powers. But then I remembered that in order to clean it up to the fullest, I'd have to bring out my true form. I glanced at Ivory. There was no way she'd fall in love with me after seeing my true form.

I have to get her out of here, but how? I figured the simplest way was just to ask her. "Master?" She jumped. "What did you call me?" She questioned.

"Master. I am your butler, after all." I said, smiling.

She grimaced, and asked, "Please, please, don't call me that. I'm Ivory. That's IT."

I smirked. "Yes, MS. Ivory." She shook her head. "You're hopeless." She murmured.

"Anyways, I have a favor to ask. Please leave while I'm restoring the house. If you do look back," I grinned coldly, "It will be gruesome."

She looked scared, but she spoke out anyways, "Why? What are you doing?"

I sighed. "You obviously didn't see my true form. You see, before I spoke to you, I changed into my human form. However, this body you see is not my true one. My true form is…demonic, shall I say? It is not a pleasant sight, and if you want your wish to ever be fulfilled, you must leave here. Immediately."

She looked at me curiously for a second, and said this, "Alright, I'll go. But, you know you can't hide that from me forever."

I blinked. "And why not?" I questioned.

She smiled and laughed, startling me. "Well, because!"

I smiled wryly. "So you have no reason, huh."

She turned back into the forest, but waved a single hand without turning around, signaling me.

I laughed. "A bit farther, please?"

She sighed, but obeyed, walking until I couldn't see her anymore. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was going to be a difficult road in front of me. I was already exhausted. I guess I'd become accustomed to humans that were too scared of me to be so… annoying. I smiled. It was also going to fun. I licked my lips hungrily. I loved games, and this one was going to one of the hardest I'd ever encountered. What was she thinking, asking a demon to fulfill such a wish? But maybe it would teach me more about humans. They might be more easy to trick if I could make them fall in love.

I looked at the house towering into the sky. I had no time to muse about such things. I rolled up my sleeves. "Time to work!"