This is a work of fanfiction. All characters (except Emerald) belong to Aphmau / Jessica Bravura.

Cover Art belongs to Aphmau / Jessica Bravura.

Please don't sue me.


Emerald hurt.

The veteran tried not to groan out loud as she limped her way back to the apartment. She had gone for her run that morning, as she usually did... except it had been a week since the last one and she hadn't bothered to slow down. As a result, her legs felt like they were about to pop off.

'Better not let Mrs. Oates see me like this,' Emerald thought. 'Knowing her, she'll think it's from having "sexy fun times" with the Daemos.' She took a moment to fish the apartment key out of her running bag.

She had barely begun to turn the doorknob when Leif suddenly appeared next to her. "About time you got back," he purred softly, leaning in close.

"What the hell?!" The veteran threw herself back, her legs giving out under her as she tried to get some space between her and the former assassin. She started falling towards the floor when she felt someone grab her, lifting her up into the air. "Wh-what?"

Leif gave her his signature toothy grin. "Looks like you're falling for me after all," he chuckled. The white-haired Daemos carried her in, nudging the door shut behind him.

"Ugh, you wish." Emerald rolled her eyes, wincing slightly as she gave her calves an experimental flex. "Ow."

He cocked his head to one side. "You overdo it on that stupid 'run' thing you do?"

She nodded. "Serves me right for jumping right back to it instead of easing in."

Leif furrowed his eyebrows, before turning and walking through the Daemos portal.

"Whoa, where are you taking me?" Emerald glanced around in worry. This was the first time she'd been brought through the portal against her will. The realization it was Leif who was carrying her was even more concerning.

"To the sp- hot tub." He cleared his throat. "It seems to help you relax. Might help with your legs."

"Oh no, I am not getting anywhere near that thing again." She started trying to wiggle her way free. "Not after what happened last time."

"Would you just hold still?!" Leif squeezed her tighter to him as he continued walking, surprised she was actually starting to get free. "You're gonna get us both in trouble!"

That actually got her attention. "Why the hell would I be in trouble? For trespassing? Even though you're the one who brought me in here?"

He shrugged. "Unless you want to find out, I suggest you keep quiet." He took the opportunity to readjust his grip, passing through the door into the Spell Pool Room.

Emerald stared at the water with apprehension. "I'll sit on the side and put my legs in, but there's no way you're making me sit in there."

Leif seemed to consider her words, grinning after a few moments. "Works for me." He knelt down and carefully placed her on the floor before he removed her shoes and socks. Once they were off, he gently guided both legs into the water.

The veteran sighed, closing her eyes as the water hit her sore muscles. The relief only lasted a moment though, as she remembered who exactly it was sitting with her. She snapped her eyes back open, trying not to let the relief show on her face when she saw he was still reclining lazily next to her.

The former assassin must have still sensed it, because he gave her another wicked grin. "Worried I'm gonna kill ya'?"

"Not really." Emerald waved him off with a confidence she did not feel. "I know Ava's the one you're really after. Besides, if you kill me too soon, the rest of the Daemos are going to be pissed." She returned his grin. "Especially Asch."

He groaned. "Why'd you have to bring him up?" Instead of waiting for her to answer, Leif reached down and pulled her left leg out of the water, resting the heel on his thigh. Before she could voice any objections, he deftly began massaging her calf.

Any objections died in her throat. Despite how on edge he made her feel, Emerald couldn't deny Leif was definitely skilled with his hands. She found her voice after a few seconds. "Are... are you using magic? Cause I thought Rhys said - "

"Well, Rhys isn't here right now." He glared at her, his hands pausing before continuing. "And no, I don't need magic to do this." She saw him physically puff up with pride. "I learned how to do this on my own."

"Really? You mean Daemos don't use magic for literally every little thing in their lives?" She gave him a small grin, hoping the sarcasm translated across species.

Luckily, he seemed to pick up on what she was trying to do. "I'm probably the most self-sufficient one in our group. All the others grew up soft because they've always lived in the kingdom, had everything handed to them."

"Really?" Her attention on him was no longer just a facade to keep him talking: he was giving her legitimate information about where they were from. It was more than she'd been able to extract from Pierce or Rhys, or even Noi (although certainly not from a lack of effort on her part).

Unfortunately, something in her bearing must have given her away, because Leif clammed up immediately. "Let's just say I learned how to do this because I couldn't always count on someone else to be there to help me out." He lowered her leg back into the water, before bringing the other one up and repeating his earlier ministrations.

Emerald leaned back against the wall, allowing her eyes to close again. A not-small part of her mind warned her this was a bad idea that would most likely end up with her throat being slit, but she told it to shut up. It'd been far too long since she'd gotten a proper athletic massage, and Leif actually seemed to know what he was doing.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew the former assassin was poking her in the side.

"Hey, you alive?"

The veteran's eyes shot open as she startled, before settling down as she remembered where she was. She rubbed them briefly. "Yeah, yeah." She arched her back as she stretched her arms over her head. Experimentally, she flexed her legs, pleased to find they were no longer cramping up. "Oh man, that feels infinitely better." She gave him a small, genuine smile. "Thanks. For real."

"Oh, uh." Leif seemed uncharacteristically flustered, refusing to make eye contact. "Well, if you're feeling better, then you should go. I don't think Rhys has sensed you in here yet."

Emerald nodded, grabbing her shoes and socks as she stood. "Tell you what: give me some time to shower, and then bring everybody out. I'll make you guys something brand new for breakfast." Without waiting for him to respond, she turned and exited the room.

He watched her go, feeling an odd sense of camaraderie. It was a bit hard to explain, but he felt she might've had a similar upbringing to what he did. Ava and her parents seemed to come from almost a completely different world than the veteran, which meant she always had to prove herself to them.

It was something Leif related to far too much. He shook his head, forcing down the emotions that threatened to break through his carefully crafted mask. Instead, he found himself curious about this new food item she had hinted at.

Neither of them realized Emerald's keys were still hanging in the front door.


Several hours later, Ava's alarm clock blared to life. She quickly switched it off, rolling back over to stare sleepily at Johnny. "It's too early," she groaned, closing her eyes as she thought back to yesterday and all of the Daemos arguing over who would get to marry her.

"I have to admit... it was kind of nice to have them fight over me. I've never really been the center of attention for... anything, really. But marriage?" She opened her eyes to stare at the cat again. "They weren't... serious, right? I mean, they don't even know me. If anything, they've spent more time with Em than they have with me, but I guess they don't think she's as 'valuable' or whatever."

Ava sighed. "And that's... pretty sucky. I think Saturday was the first time she's let anybody else take care of her. And then I took her to brunch with my parents, and Pop just kept insulting her, and none of the Daemos seem to even remember she exists half the time." Another sigh. "I'm surprised she didn't get sick sooner, with all the work she does trying to keep everything running smoothly around here."

The short woman turned again, facing away from the window. "I can't even take care of myself, much less a flock of horny guys." She heard the cat give a questioning chirrup. "They have actual horns is what I'm referencing Johnny, jeez... But honestly, after yesterday, that definition isn't too far off - "

Ava was interrupted as her phone began vibrating behind her on the bed. She groaned loudly, turning to pick it up. "Ugh, it's probably my dads and - " Her face fell as she read the name. "Oh. It's Lorelai." The short woman rejected the call and dropped it, rolling to face the wall again.

"Good. She shouldn't waste her time with me, especially since Em is - " She cut herself off as the phone buzzed again. "Darn it."

Johnny looked between his mistress and the buzzing phone. He carefully approached, laying his ears back as he nudged the back of her head with his nose.

"Nooooo," she groaned, closing her eyes as she tried to block out the sound.

The cat maneuvered his way back to the phone, laying down on top of it. As he did, his paw conveniently landed on the "Answer" circle, bringing the phone to life.

"Hello? Ava?" Lorelai's voice called out from the device.

Ava's eyes snapped open in surprise. "What the - ?!" She flipped herself back over, glaring when she saw what Johnny had done. "You stupid cat! I - " As he wandered away, she picked up the phone and held it cautiously to her ear. "H-hello?"

"Hey, Ava! Long time no speak!" Lorelai sounded as bubbly as ever.

"Yeah, it's been a while... "

"Well, I mean I've called you a few times since we last talked and you haven't answered. Until now!"

"O-oh right!" Ava laughed nervously. "I've been, uh... busy... I mean, yeah, I've actually been busy for once."

"Oh, it's no worries. I get busy all the time too! Totally know how that goes."

"I mean... yeah, same, I guess."

"Anyway, I was thinking that maybe you and Em wanted to go to a movie with me and a few friends or something? Since today is Em's birthday and all, I'd like to treat you two to something fun."

'Oh shit, I completely forgot today is her birthday!' Out loud, Ava tried to buy herself some time. "Uh, n-no thanks. Like I said, I'm really busy and uh, like you said, you know how that goes, and I think Em has work today, and you know how she gets when she has to work, so... I'll just be hanging up the phone now, and - "

"See, here's the thing."

Ava suddenly got a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Huh?"

"I kinda figured you'd say no, so this time, I tried something different."

The sinking feeling intensified. "What did you try?"

"I'm actually outside of your apartment building, right now, as we speak!"

"Y-you what?!" Ava was so surprised, she accidentally flung herself off her own bed in shock.

Lorelai plowed ahead, seemingly oblivious to the chaos on the other end of the phone. "Yep! I'm right outside your building, and I'm ready to go!"

"Lorelai! It's 11 a.m. in the morning, it's too early!"

"Uh, no? That's actually pretty late."

"I mean too early to go to a movie!"

"They normally do discounts for early showings and since you don't have a job, I kinda figured - "

Ava sighed in disgusted frustration. "Don't remind me."

"So come on girl, let's go!"

"I'm not going, Lorelai."

"What?! Come on! The last time we hung out was during high school, and you remember how much fun that was."

"The last time I went to a movie with you and your friends, it was uncomfortable."

"I promise the movie theater has been upgraded and the seats are phenomenal now."

"That's not the kind of uncomfortable I was talking about, ju - " Ava cut herself off in annoyance. "Look, I'm not going, and that's final. Besides, Em has work today and you know there's no way she'd ever skip out on her job. She's too responsible for that."

"Ava, I've been reading a self-help book about being assertive."

"Assertive or annoying?"

"The book taught me to have a backbone, and as your friend - "

"Who said we were friends?!"

" - I'm going to be assertive now and say you're both coming to the theater!"

Ava let out a small, mocking laugh. "Nice try, Lorelai, but you forgot one thing: I'm in my building. In my room. And you can't get in! So, I'm glad you finally developed a backbone, I really am! You deserve it! But... you can't get into my building. Or my apartment. I win. Bye-bye."

"Ava!" Just as Lorelai yelled the name into her phone, the blonde-haired man walking in front of her stopped abruptly.

"You know Ava?"

"Me?" The brunette gave him a briefly confused expression, before a devilish grin took over her face. "Yes! Yes I do! I'm her best friend."

"Lorelai!" Ava had just been about to hang up the phone when she heard Jake's voice on the other end of the phone, followed by Lorelai's declaration. "I swear to God, if you - "

"Don't worry, Ava." It was a bit disturbing how calm she sounded. "You don't have to come out of the shower. I'll be there soon. Bye!"

Before Ava could get out another word, the phone disconnected. "N-no... she wouldn't... " She leapt over her bed in two bounds, almost bouncing her forehead off the window as she peered down to the sidewalk below. "There is no way he will let her in, especially after how Em spoke to him the last time he was here - "

To her horror, she saw them both headed towards the building entrance. "Oh my God!" Ava sprinted towards the door...

... only to trip over a pile of dirty clothes she'd left on the floor. She immediately shot back up, determined not to lose any time. If she wasn't able to stop Lorelai, she at least needed to warn Em that someone was on their way up.

As she burst through the door, Ava was more than a little worried to see all five Daemos were in the kitchen. Not only that, but they were all already changed into their "human" clothing. "You guys need to get out of here now, and - "

Any further words died in her throat as she took in the scene before her.

The Daemos and Em were all in the kitchen, which looked like a bomb had gone off in it. There were puddles of milk and egg guts threatening to spill over the counter, while little clouds of flour seemed to puff up every time one of them moved. A large stack of... something was teetering precariously on a plate, leaning noticeably to one side.

Em was at the stove, Noi and Rhys on either side of her. Pierce and Leif were also leaning in close, staring intently at what she was doing. Even Asch was peeking over to watch, although he was trying to hide it.

The veteran carefully flicked her wrist, flipping what Ava could now see was a pancake deftly onto the nearby plate. The Daemos seemed entranced by the performance, their eyes going wide.

"I still cannot believe such a thing is possible without magic!" Rhys exclaimed, staring at her in awe.

"It's really not that hard: just takes practice. I'm sure if you guys kept trying you'd eventually get - Ava!" Em gave her a friendly smile, which quickly faded as she took in the expression on the shorter woman's face. "Is something wrong?"

Before she could answer, Asch turned and immediately began asserting himself. "Prisoner!"

"What?!" Ava was definitely not in the mood to take the Daemos prince's attitude.

"Don't speak to me in such a tone!" Everyone could feel the haughtiness practically dripping off him. "I'm a prince."

"Prince of what?! Getting angry at nothing?!" she shot back, earning muffled laughter from both Em and Rhys.

"I-I-I'm the prince of Daemos!" For once, Asch seemed stunned. "Are you dense?!"

"It's an expression, I - ugh!" Ava trailed off in frustration. "What do you want? I'm in a bit of trouble here!"

That got everyone's attention.

"Trou-ble?" Asch seemed confused by the term.

Leif immediately jumped in. "No one lays a hand on Ava until I'm done with her!"

"Excuse me, she's my bride!"

"Uh, no! She's not!" Noi sounded positively offended by the prince's declaration.

Pierce nodded. "Yes."

"What?!"

"I was agreeing with you."

"Oh!"

Rhys turned to face the short woman calmly. "What is the trouble, Princess Ava?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Em quickly turned off the stove and moved to her roommate's side. "Your parents bugging you again already about these guys?"

"No, it's so much worse than that! Lorelai is coming up to the apartment, so I need you guys to leave!"

"You don't tell me what to do!" Asch sneered, taking a step forward. "I - "

"Just get out of here. I - "

"I'm not leaving until you marry me!"

"No! Me!" Leif glared, daring anyone to challenge him. "I will be the King of Ee-urth and command the Nine-Hundred and Eleven Warriors!"

Ava seemed ready to explode. "Look, I don't have time for your demon puberty!"

Rhys furrowed his brows in confusion. "Demon... poo-beh-tee?"

"I need you guys to get out of here. Lorelai is here to ruin my life! Moreso than you guys!"

"But we still need to discuss who you're going to marry," Pierce interrupted calmly, albeit with some concern.

Em looked between everyone before cutting in with an exasperated sigh. "Look, if you want to marry her you will have to date her to even qualify."

"Now get out now! I need to make sure the door is locked before - " Ava was cut off suddenly as Asch stepped forward and bodily lifted her into the air.

"Give me the date!" he declared as he began to shake her.

"Ergh, stop shaking me! Just because you're super buff doesn't mean you can shake me like a maraca!"

"Get your hands off her right now!" Em reached over and tore Ava out of his grasp, holding her close so she wouldn't fall.

Noi was glaring at Asch. "How dare you!" He raced over and picked up both women, tossing one over each shoulder and running back towards the portal.

"I swear to God, just leave me alo - " Ava was cut off as Pierce easily plucked them from the smallest Daemos, holding one in each hand over his head as he made his way towards Em's room.

"Oh, no you don't!" Leif shouted, overtaking the other Daemos chasing after the general and tossing the women over his own shoulders. He made a beeline back towards the portal, the others close behind.

"Unhand the princess and her guardian at once!" Rhys called out, tucking Em and Ava under each arm and racing towards the kitchen.

"Put us down!" The veteran had to shout to be heard over all the noise.

'Well, at least it can't get much worse than this,' Ava thought glumly to herself.


Outside in the hallway, the elevator gave a cheerful *ping* as the doors opened. Both Jake and Lorelai stepped out, pausing in front to continue their conversation. "Really?" the former asked, surprise in his voice. "You've known Ava since high school?"

"Yep, been hanging out since then. I haven't spent too much time with Em, but Ava once told me they used to hang out when they were younger because their parents worked together."

The blonde chuckled somewhat nervously. "C-cool." The brunette woman suddenly got a sly grin on her face as she studied him, which made Jake even more nervous. "Uh... what?"

"You totally like Ava, don't you?"

"No! W-w-what?!" He was sweating profusely. "W-what makes you say that?!"

"You've just been asking me questions about her since we got in the elevator, which is stuuuuupidly slow, by the way. You should really get management to fix it. Kind of a lazy move of them not to."

Jake's face fell. "I am management."

"Oh." Lorelai shrugged off her mistake quickly, plowing on ahead like nothing had happened. "Anyway, as I was saying: I have a knack for telling when people are into someone. You totally want to smooch Ava, don't you?"

"You just met me!" He seemed offended, even as his cheeks blushed brightly. "How can you ask me questions like that?"

"Uh, by talking. Duh!"

"That's... not what I meant."

"Hmm... " Lorelai hummed to herself, staring off into the distance over his shoulder. "Actually, maybe a boyfriend will get the stick out of Ava's - "

"S-shouldn't you go and check on Ava?!" Jake interrupted desperately, no doubt imagining several inappropriate things brought about by her words.

"Oh, right." She peeked around him. "Down this way, right? I get confused here."

"Yeah, that way."

"Thanks! Toodles!"

"What a strangely friendly girl," Jake muttered to himself as she passed him. "A little too friendly... " He shrugged, stepping forward to the elevator and pushing the call button to go back down.

Lorelai was just about to knock on the door when she noticed keys in the lock. "Hmm? Why are these here?" She gave the knob an experimental turn, surprised when it opened right up. "It's open?" The brunette threw both doors open wide enthusiastically. "Ready or not, here I come!" She walked through, humming a little tune. 'Maybe I should try to hook both of them up,' she thought happily. 'It definitely wouldn't hurt either of them to get out there and meet someone new.'


Emerald was getting a headache.

The Daemos had her and Ava surrounded by the kitchen counter, all of them shouting to be heard over the others and trying to present their case as to why they would be the best choice as Ava's suitor. As before, random phrases rose up clearer than others, such as Leif's "I am the one who deserves to inherit the power!", Rhys's "You don't get to tell me what to do!", and Asch's "She likes my voice!" Most surprising was when Pierce's voice broke though with "Let Princess Ava decide."

Ava simply stood there amongst the noise, eyes closed. While the veteran sympathized with her a bit, she was also getting frustrated. 'It's not like I can do anything to stop this,' she thought in frustration. 'They only listen to "Princess" Ava. Unless she takes control, this is never going to end... '

"Alright, that's enough!" Emerald had to shout to get them to hear her. "You guys need to get your shit sorted out!"

"That's right!" Ava finally decided to contribute something to control the chaos. "Right now, I need to stop Lorelai from - "

"I... see this is a bad time?" The woman's voice in question caused all of them to turn towards the hallway. Lorelai stood there, a blush visible on her cheeks as she surveyed the scene.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Emerald was livid. "What was the point of having Jake fix the goddamn door if everybody and their mother can just waltz straight in as they please?!"

Ava tentatively reached out and placed one hand on the veteran's arm. "Em, it's okay," she whispered, trying to regain control of the situation. The shorter woman turned to face the newcomer. "How... did you get inside?"

"Some keys were hanging in the lock, and the door was unlocked." Lorelai looked between the two women. "So I let myself in!"

"That's called breaking and entering." Ava glanced at Emerald, who was still shaking in anger.

"Why. Are. You. Here?" The veteran was dangerously quiet.

"Oh, right!" The brunette smiled, seemingly oblivious to the mood of the room. "I heard it was your birthday today."

"Birth... day?" Rhys murmured in confusion.

"I'll explain it later," Emerald whispered tiredly. Even though she was kicking herself for forgetting about the keys in the door, she was feeling a bit worn out from the sudden surge of anger.

Noi took the opportunity to break the silence, his eyes widening in recognition. "Hey, I remember this human!"

"Oh hey, it's you guys!" Lorelai took the opportunity to study each Daemos more closely. "I didn't realize you guys liked to wear your cosplay horns so much!" A wicked grin spread over her face. "Or was it for something else?"

Ava blushed brightly, probably worrying about the woman spreading rumors about them. "Uh, n-n-no! They were just... trying them on!" She let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

"Okay, well, let's get going to the movies! Em, since it's your birthday, I'm going to treat you and Ava to a fun time out." She paused, her expression dropping. "Unless, you have work? Ava said you have work today... "

"Y-yeah! That's right!" Ava breathed a sigh of relief at the out. "I mean, it's Monday, beginning of the week, you know how busy Mondays are, and - "

"I'm free today."

"What?!" The shorter woman stared at her in horrified shock.

"Got an email from work yesterday. They're giving me the entire month off as a paid vacation." Emerald finally felt back in control, both of herself and the situation at hand. "I've saved up more vacation time than I'm allowed to, so they're paying me to use it." She paused again. "There's also - "

"Moo-vies?" Rhys interrupted, his face a mask of confusion.

"N-n-nothing. Nothing!" Ava stuttered out her reply. Between Emerald's reveal of her unexpectedly open schedule and the possibility of leaving all five Daemos unattended for several hours, the shorter woman was a nervous wreck.

Asch broke in. "What is this... 'movies'?"

"Don't ask!"

"Have you guys never been to a movie?" Lorelai stared at them in open disbelief.

"No," Pierce answered simply.

"What?! Really?! Not even for a date?!"

"Wait... " Leif stared at her intently. "Is that where you go to have a date?"

"Of course!"

Emerald could feel the shift in the room's mood as all five Daemos simultaneously turned to stare almost hungrily at Ava, who looked absolutely miserable.

"Oh no... "

"I have an idea!" Lorelai declared happily.

Ava gasped in horror. "Stop!" She flung herself forward towards the brunette.

"We should all go to the movies - ah!" She was cut off as Ava crashed into her, knocking them both to the floor in a heap.

"Wow. She just attacked her." Leif's eyes lit up. "I like that."

Emerald nudged him in the ribs. "Don't get any ideas, stabby-hands."

Lorelai shook her head to clear it. "Ava! What the fuck?!"

"You have no idea what you've just unleashed," Ava growled darkly, glaring at her.

"Yeah, fun!" The brunette quickly stood up, laughing as she turned to the Daemos. "You guys should go get your horns off before we head out."

Emerald noticed Pierce and Rhys give each other a look before reaching up towards their horns. She quickly intervened. "Take those off in Ava's room! The stuff for the glue's in there, you know."

Luckily, they seemed to pick up on the hint. All five turned and entered Ava's room without a peep.

After watching them leave, Lorelai turned to the other two women. "I'm so jealous. You two get to hang out with such hot guys!"

"Y-you're jealous... of me?" Ava seemed confused.

"Of course! And they're all cosplay guys as well!" She sighed dramatically. "Jealous!"

The shorter woman looked down, seemingly lost in thought.

"Still... I can't believe they've never been to a movie theater!"

"They don't have those where they come from," Emerald cut in quickly. For once, it wasn't an outright lie: she was positive the Daemos didn't have anything like that where they were from. She'd been able to gather that much from talking to them.

"How interesting."

"Take us to this place you speak of," Asch demanded, walking up with the others following closely behind.

"Follow me!"

Before anyone could take a single step, Emerald's arm snaked out and grabbed Lorelai by the bicep. "Time out, speedy." She gestured around the apartment. "Ava's still in her pajamas, and I'm not leaving the kitchen looking like that for several hours." She looked to her roommate. "You go get dressed: I'll get this mess cleaned up by the time you're done. I'll even let you take a few of the pancakes to snack on for the walk over."

"A-are you sure?" Ava looked guilty. "You shouldn't have to clean up stuff on your birthday."

Emerald shook her head. "Nope. I had the idea to make pancakes, I helped make this mess, I should clean it up." She gave her wink. "It's the responsible thing to do, after all." The veteran gave her a gently shove. "Now go get dressed. We'll get this taken care of."

No sooner had Ava closed the door to her room, the Daemos turned to her. "If we assist you in cleaning, would we receive more of the 'Happy Cat Face' stickers?" Noi asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Of course! Cleaning is a chore, so it definitely earns you a mark on the chart."

No sooner had she finished speaking, all five of them sprang into action.


With the Daemos helping, Emerald had made quick work of cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. As a reward, she'd given each one of them a sticker on the Chore Chart, as well as some pancakes from the stack they'd made. Predictably, Asch had grumbled about being forced to eat food 'made by a lesser being,' but had eventually relented and actually seemed pleased with the bready pastry.

"This place is amazing," Leif murmured in awe, glancing around at the movie theater.

Pierce looked concerned. "What is that smell?"

"Popcorn!" She glanced around at the Daemos. "Don't tell me you guys never had that."

Rhys shook his head. "Never."

"It smells good," the former general declared, closing his eyes.

"Wow. I should have offered to take you guys out before." Lorelai's eyes suddenly widened. "Nature calls! Be right back!" She took off running towards the bathroom, leaving the rest of them standing awkwardly in the middle of the lobby.

Ava sighed in relief. "Thank God. Alright, listen up." She fixed each Daemos with a serious glare. "You guys need to be on your best behavior. Seriously. Just don't ask questions, because people will know you're weird."

"Aren't we already weird?" Noi piped up.

"I mean, it'll set people off to thinking you're Daemos. Remember: humans are powerful, and we have powerful magic."

"Not all of us," Emerald murmured under her breath, giving Ava a quick nudge to the side.

She plowed ahead, obliviously. "One wrong move, and you might get killed."

"I'm listening." As usual, just the mention of death was enough to pique Leif's interest.

Asch cocked one eyebrow. "What does the 'movies' do?"

"You'll have to experience it for yourselves. Besides, it's important for this trip to go smoothly. Today is Emerald's birthday. A birthday is a sacred event among humans, a celebration of our entry into the world. It's a time to do special things for them, let them know you're glad they're here."

The veteran covered her eyes with one hand, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Hey, come on, it's not that big a deal... "

Ava shook her head. "No, it is important. I mean, your work even gave you the entire month off! That never happens, which means they must think pretty highly of you." She gave the woman a determined look. "You've been doing so much for me lately, it's only fair I help do something nice for you. So for the rest of the day, don't worry about anything else. I've got you covered."

"If you're sure... " Emerald still didn't look convinced, but figured it was better to go along with it anyway. Especially since the Daemos seemed intrigued by the concept, judging by the looks they were giving her.

The shorter woman turned back to the Daemos. "For now, just... ask questions sparingly. Alright?"

"When are we getting married?" Asch immediately piped up.

To their surprise, Rhys added "I am curious as well."

"God! Look, I don't know what you guys are going through, but we'll talk about that later. If you guys are good on this trip, we'll... talk about the emotions you're feeling later. Okay?"

Pierce gave her an oddly serious look. "Do you swear?"

Ava sighed in frustration. "Yes, I swear."

"Good." Leif grinned.

"Also, don't you guys dare use magic here. People will attack you if you do."

Emerald nodded. "You guys got lucky last time, after that whole incident at the grocery store." At their shocked faces, she couldn't help but give a small grin. "Hey, I might not remember everything about that day, but something like flying through the air definitely sticks out."

Before any of them could form an argument defending their actions, Lorelai ran back up to rejoin the group. "Alright, I'm back! Now, let's go get our tickets. Oh, but first we have to choose what movie we want to see!"

"Choose?" Rhys seemed pleasantly surprised. Apparently, he'd been under the impression it was a single, pre-determined event.

"Follow me! I have a feeling this is gonna be a wonderful day!" Lorelai grabbed Emerald by the arm. "Come on, let's go see what's playing so you can decide! It is your special day, after all!" She practically dragged the larger woman off with her towards the posters, leaving the others behind.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm sure," Ava laughed unconvincingly as they left, before turning her attention back to the Daemos. "Alright, remember: we'll talk about marriage if this trip goes off without any problems. Keep that in mind. Let's go."