Modern Day, Sunday
As Neuro meandered back to his office, thinking about that mysterious woman. During the dream it felt so real, and as a supernatural demon, he should know what real is. The description of her was starting to slip as fog slowly dissipates off a lake. He wasn't use to this feeling, that he was forgetting something. He was aware that he was losing whatever it was.
People passed him by and he was only vaguely aware of them, far too wrapped up in his head that to concern himself with anything else. As he turned down a road to get back to the office, he caught a glimpse of long black hair. It was odd because the hair seemed more like ink soaking into the fabric of reality. It was blurred and unfocused. Neuro turned to the direction of the black hair and it was gone. It didn't move, it was just gone. Dissolved perhaps would be a better description, he was never quite fond of complexities of language.
Gliding into the office, he kicked the couch out of his way. His desk called to him and he leaned forwards, petting it affectionately. In a way quite unnatural for a desk, it purred back, stretching in askance of a scratched. He obliged, scoring it with his claws and he moved to sit behind it. Kicking up his feet, he leaned back watching the clock over the door with a sort of malice and sadistic glee.
Neuro lounged at his desk, heels kicked up to a corner of the still purring desk. The big widows to his side let in the mid-morning light as he cleaned and sharpened his claws. There was a soft patter of footsteps of Yako coming down the hallway. The doorknob turned hesitantly, then the door moved slowly protesting the movement with a soft moan. As Yako peeped her head around the door, a round wall clock sped towards her viciously.
Neuro chuckled as he stretched in his chair. A groan and clatter of a falling clock was the only noise in the office. Struggling to get up, Yako started muttering. Demon ears being what they were, they caught every utterance of discourtesy that she bestowed upon his delightful person. Unraveling from his position on the chair Neuro sauntered towards the door, pausing slightly to pluck Yako from her spot off to the side. The grip on her head was uncomfortable to say the least.
"Come Louse. We have a mystery to find. I'm quite peckish and you should take responsibility."
"But, Neuro, how is this my fault?"
"You dare contradict your master?"
His voice had a sickeningly sweet quality. The soft comfort of poison before it took effect. Yako had plenty of experience of that tone. By now she knew that better than to respond to the rhetorical question. She did it once before out of spite, thinking things could hardly get worse. Needless to say, because it was Neuro, it got worse.
The part of downtown that they were wandering through was not as packed as it was normally. Yako was secretly thankful for that small blessing. Groups of large people had started to make her nervous, especially when she was with Neuro. They reached an intersection when Neuro stopped. It was like when a dog gets a scent or hear a particular sound and they need to study it further. Turning sharply to the left, Neuro dodged people as he weaved following something that she couldn't see. Yako followed, apologizing to those that both of them bumped into, flashing them an apologetic grin as she raced to keep up.
When Neuro stopped, she started panting, feeling dizzy and sick. As soon as Yako caught her breath, she tried to figure out where she was led. It was a lit back alley. A space between restaurants, the road old enough that it was still made out of bricks. Neuro's head jerked left as if catching a glimpse of that ghost that he was chasing. He went faster than before, completely losing Yako. She fought to catch up, but felt as though she was a small dog racing against a greyhound.
Neuro stopped in a dead end. His prey was caught finally, with nowhere left to go. That is, his prey should have been here. It was a dead end of the city's alleys that seemed to belong in a post-apocalyptic city. It had a large tree oddly place. The surrounding buildings were decrepit and the plants claimed the walls of the buildings to take root in. The metal was rusted and in some places disintegrated.
She was taunting him with allowing him just glimpse of her when he thought she was completely out of reach. The flash of black hair and the chase was on again. The faint smell of rain and dried blood teased his senses when he lost her, mocking him. As a demon from Hell, this insult could not be borne.
"Oi! Parrot! What is wrong with you?" A feminine voice called to him from above. She lounged in the tree with inhuman grace. Her long black hair swished back and forth, like an agitated cat's tail.
"You dare insult me?" His voice came out as a crocked hiss, anger breaking through his normally calm demeanor. This was not the time to be pulling this. He had lost what was left in his considerably enormous patience.
"You just don't learn, do you? You think I'm having fun? Get it through your head, bird brain." She moved from her position to sit upright on the sturdy branch, her booted feet swinging back and forth. He stared up at her, disgruntlement growing on his face. She studied his face for a moment, searching for something he couldn't name. Sighing, she shook her head and gave a doleful, crooked grin.
"You really don't know. You can't see a warning when it's thrown in your face. What a pity. For you both."
"What are you talking about? I demand to know. What trick are you pulling, child?"
She leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. Neuro's glamour started to fizz, the edges of his human form gaining feathers and bird-like qualities. Her giggle did nothing but ruffle his feathers. As he got more agitated, the silence between them grew.
"I am what I've always been. Have you?"
She seemed to gain that painting attribute. Her hair turned to ink soaking into a delicate white fabric. Her distinct outline became blurred, as if like her hair, she started to bleed into the fabric of reality. The colors that she wore faded into shades of Grey.
"I will find you again."
"Find me again? But you never did find me. Silly bird," She said with a slight chuckle "I was never here. I am, and always have been, in your head."
Her shape dissipated leaving her faint colors stained in the space she occupied. Footsteps approached, clonking on the pavement that led up to where he stood. As Neuro turned, Yako paused at the intersection. She turned towards him, her cheeks faintly red from exertion.
"Neuro. There you are. Who were you talking to? I thought I heard your voice. Was there someone else here?"
Neuro paused for a minute before replying. He thought about telling her about that woman, but determined that it would be ridiculous. Masters do not share such information with their servants. Walking back towards her, he cast one more glance at the dead end behind him. The tree that was there was now gone. The alley returned to all the others. Buildings, though run down, were still functional. The mass of plant growth that was there was replaced with peeling paint and graffiti.
"No. There was no one."
A/N: Hello dears, It's been a while. I have to thank all of you for your continual feedback. It really pushed me to get going for this. Now I know some of you are wondering who this mysterious woman is. I do have to say, I'm growing quite fond of her as I keep writing. I will give a bit of a hint for all of you, she is someone you've met before. Several times actually...
