A/N: Hello there. It's been over a year since I've last updated. I apologise. A lot has been going on in my life and it dwindled my muse for this story quite a bit, especially where my writing style and my memory for what I'd originally come up with for this story is concerned. But I'm making an effort to get back into writing this one and updating every so often, so please do bear with me. My focus is currently on other fanfics right now, but I still plan to keep this story updated whenever I can. At some point, I know I'll have to go back and rewrite chapters due to the drastic changes I've made to my writing style, but for now I'll continue as I am and just write this out. With that in mind, if you do see any formatting differences as well as, it's because I've figured out how to insert an em dash into Word. XD

Thank you to those who have been reading, favouriting, reviewing and following this story anyway. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. And to the user theSEDwoman99: I appreciate the idea, but all my fanfics have their stories planned in advance. So, the other floor's residents have already been chosen and prepared. But I recommend you do keep that idea for yourself. It's a good one. ^^

I hope you all enjoy this next chapter in the meantime, as I finally get to properly introduce my second main OC into the fray.

Chapter 7: The Witch and the Demon-Spawn

My body froze when the Executioner let out a loud and familiar cackle (the same one I'd heard earlier) as their grip tightened on my wrist.

"Look who it is~! Little Lona Rivers!" The Executioner's tone had a menacing delight to it, causing me to shudder and briefly glance away to focus behind her. "You're already living up to your criminal status, I see—breaking the floor's rules for the sake of a fellow criminal! You little thief!"

'Where did she come from?! Neither of the doors were—!' My gaze fell upon the iron maiden, seeing it was open now. There weren't any spikes on the inside. I gaped. 'Is… Is that a fake iron maiden?! Was she hiding in there?!'

I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt the Executioner yank me closer to her face, her eyes leering at me from under the hood; she was quite tall, and the black robes she wore did little to make her height less intimidating. "I'm not finished punishing the witch over there, so you're going to have to wait your turn!"

'Witch?' I frowned at her wording, giving the woman still unconscious in the unlocked stocks a sideways glance. 'Does she mean—?'

I gasped when the Executioner started walking towards the entrance of the room and dragged me with her, causing me to stumble. "Maybe some time in the cells will give you the incentive to beg for forgiveness!"

I grabbed at her hand to try to free my wrist. But it didn't matter how hard I tugged. This woman was so much stronger than I was, so my efforts were useless. By the time we were closing in on the door out of the room, I was sure I was doomed. 'Come on, Lona! You need to think fast! If she locks you in one of those cells, you're done for!'

And that was when my gaze drifted to her hood. 'It's stupid. But it's better than nothing.'

Out of desperation I let go of her and jumped up, reaching out to grasp at the Executioner's hood. I briefly caught her off guard and forced her to stop when I pulled it down, to which she cried out. "Hey—!"

The moment I felt her grip loosen on my wrist, I took the chance to yank myself free and turn around, running off in the direction of the other door. I didn't know where I was heading, but I was hoping the door wasn't locked.

"Get back here, you thief!" The Executioner screeched, yet I didn't dare look back or stop.

With shaky hands and heavy breathing, I gripped at the door handle and shoved it down, flinging the door open and charging ahead into the darkness of a narrow, stone corridor. It was pitch black further down without the lantern, so much so I couldn't see where the walls and floor started and ended. But I didn't have a choice. I had to keep going. I had to get as far away from the Executioner as I could, even if it meant running blindly into the dark.

I'd gotten a short distance from the door before hearing it swing closed, muffling the inaudible screeches of the Executioner along with her charging footsteps behind me. But then those footsteps suddenly stopped, with a scream and then a thud following suit. I halted and felt my shoulders stiffen, placing a hand to my chest and peeking back over my shoulder at the closed door. Aside from my panting, I heard nothing else from that room, making me wonder if something had happened.

And then the door was shoved open. I flinched at the loud bang it made colliding with the stone wall, my eyes widening at the tall shadow blocking the light flooding into the corridor from behind it. I didn't wait to see who it was (I naturally assumed it was the Executioner). With a breathless cry, I whipped round and darted off further down the corridor, pressing my lips together to muffle the whimpers I failed to stop leaving my mouth. I saw the light ahead shift as the shadow, presumably, went to follow me, failing to hear their footsteps over my pulse pounding in my ears. But I didn't care. I just needed to get out of danger.

Thankfully, the light from the 'torture chamber' stretched far enough down the corridor that it highlighted a door to my right.

'A place to hide!'

I didn't waste time charging for it and shoving it open, dashing inside and pushing it closed as quietly as I could. I rested my forehead and hands against the door while breathing heavily, taking a moment to catch my breath and continue to listen out for my pursuer. I knew the Executioner probably saw me go in here, but it wasn't like I had much choice in trying to find hiding places, especially in my current situation. During my brief respite, I noticed there was no light in this room either. It was completely pitch black. I could only just about see my hands resting against the door.

'At least I have some cover from my chaser. Even if it also gives her a bit of an advantage over me too…'

It didn't take long, though, for that familiar iron smell to wash over me, causing my breathing to hitch in my throat. My body froze and started to tremble at realising I'd run into another room with blood in it.

'… Oh, god.'

Even though it was dark, I didn't want to turn around. My gut was screaming at me not to, and I wanted to listen to it. But the moment I heard the echoing footsteps of my pursuer approaching my location, I knew then I didn't have a choice. I had to hide.

Sucking in a shaky breath through my mouth, I once again pulled my t-shirt over my nose and held it there, swirling round and daring to glance at the darkness of the room. My eyes had adjusted now, allowing me to make out a wide-looking room as I pressed my back to the wall and shuffled off to the left a small distance from the door. There were thin, stick-like silhouettes scattered about, and while some of them had points at the top, others had strangely shaped objects that looked round but not perfectly round.

I didn't want to know what they were.

By the time I'd stopped still, I gave the door a sideways glance at hearing it open with a creak. I held my breath and listened as the footsteps entered the room, catching the tall outline of a person walking in and then stopping. My heart pounded erratically in my chest when I covered my hands over my nose, doing my best to muffle my breathing. Already my mind was trying to conjure a plan, even with the silhouette slowly moving further inside and turning their head to search for me through the dark.

'Get to the door, Lona. Move quickly and quietly, and you might be able to get away without them knowing.'

Stealth wasn't my strongest suit, but it wasn't like I had much choice.

Keeping my eyes on the silhouette's back, I moved a hand away from my face and placed it flat against the wall. Without raising my foot, I stretched it along the stone as far as I could before slowly lifting my other foot and pulling my body along, putting it down again without making a sound. I repeated this action multiple times to scoot closer to the doorway, all the while my gaze never left the silhouette's back. They hadn't noticed me yet, which was a good sign.

But then the silhouette stopped close to the back of the room, prompting me to pause suddenly, so suddenly my foot slipped and scrapped loudly against the stone floor when I hurried to put it down. My heart leapt into my throat when the silhouette peeked back and glanced directly at me, causing my shoulders to stiffen. I could feel the side of the door touching my fingertips. I was so close.

My mind screamed at me to move, even though the silhouette was still fixed on where I was stood. Part of me wanted to flee, while the other argued I should stay where I was until I was sure I'd been spotted.

It soon became obvious I'd been seen when they turned around and started walking back to the door. I didn't waste anytime then. I legged it round the door and out into the corridor, swerving to the right to continue down the corridor and not back the way I'd come. The footsteps followed calmly behind me, giving the illusion they were walking after me and not running. And while I was tempted to look back, I didn't. I didn't want to slow myself down.

'I can't let her get me near the cells or whatever's in that torture chamber. Otherwise I'm screwed.'

I followed the corridor until I caught sight of a bright white light streaming from my left at the far end, prompting me to clench my hands and pick up the speed in my running. That light looked artificial, which meant…

'The stairwell! There it is!'

My adrenaline pumped through my legs and gave me the push I needed to run the rest of the way. I swerved to the left and entered the adjacent corridor without glancing back at my pursuer, spying a door with a frosted glass window on its top half. Although the view on the other side was blurred, I could still make out the outline of a stairwell going upwards. It was definitely the exit to the next stairwell.

I practically launched myself at the door handle and yanked it down with both hands, throwing my shoulder against the wood to try to force it open…

…But nothing happened. The handle wouldn't go down properly.

'What?' My jaw dropped slightly as I moved away from the door and kept my hands wrapped round the handle, trying to process what was going on. 'No. Is it locked?!'

The note I was given on the ground floor immediately came to mind at that thought, making me grit my teeth. 'It said I needed to find keys. Those keys must be for the stairwell doors, which means…'

I was trapped. And the Executioner had known. That was why she hadn't been running after me. It was because I had nowhere to go.

I pushed on the handle again. Nothing happened. I tried again, and again, and again. But I still got the same result.

'No, no, no. Please, no! Not now! Not here!'

I continued to rattle the handle in a desperate attempt at a miracle, somehow hoping amidst my shaking and heavy breathing that it would unlock it. And all the while I could hear slow footsteps echoing behind me, getting louder the closer they got. My body shook violently as I kept carrying out my useless actions, with the reality of my situation beginning to sink in; I was going to die.

Tears blurred my vision. I pulled myself away from the door and resorted to banging my fists against the glass window, ignoring my heart as it thudded hard and fast against my rib cage.

'I can't die here. I can't die here.'

My fists started throbbing with pain when tears streamed down my cheeks, yet I kept banging them on the glass harder and harder, even as the footsteps stopped right behind me. A hand gripped tightly at my right shoulder, making my body stiffen. I screamed as I was spun around to face my assailant, and I reacted without thinking. I punched my right fist forward, but it was stopped by someone's palm. They loosely held my hand in place, finally prompting me to glance at my attacker's face. The moment my red eyes locked with the darker red of theirs, I realised it wasn't the Executioner who had followed me.

It was the raven-haired woman from the stocks.

Despite the dim lighting and my blurry vision, I finally had a better view of the stranger now that she was standing up and towering over me. She appeared to be just under a foot taller than me by a couple of inches, as I reached just above her shoulders, yet she seemed to be a little taller than the Executioner was. Her black hair flowed down the back of the brown jacket she wore covering her black blouse. She also had a brown, flowing skirt that was ripped just under the knee, with black leggings and slightly heeled black shoes. The half of the heart I'd seen burnt onto her right cheek was still there, further indicating her identity.

And apparently, I wasn't the only one taking in appearances. When I focused on the woman's face again, I noticed her eyes had widened a little. She stared at me from head to toe, then turned her eyes to my left cheek (probably because of my marking) and then to my neck. That was where her eyes stayed for the time being as they narrowed, causing me to quietly gulp with my heart still beating ten-to-the-dozen. I recalled her angry outburst earlier, so I was naturally concerned about her temper, especially since she'd actively chased me away from the 'torture chamber'.

'Why did she come after me? Is she angry? Was I actually the person she's been looking for?'

"Where did you get that?"

My brows raised at the calm and quiet voice that left the woman as she spoke. The look on her face and the way she was still holding on to me suggested she was out for blood, yet her tone reflected the opposite. I blinked a couple of times before I answered, my voice coming out as nothing more than a squeak.

"W-What?"

"The necklace," the woman said, releasing my fist and reaching down to hold up the cross necklace between her index finger and thumb, her gaze never leaving it. "Where did you get it?"

I'd forgotten I was still wearing that.

"O-Oh, um…" I paused to clear my throat and quickly wipe at my eyes with my jacket sleeve with a small sniffle, pointing in the direction of the 'torture chamber'. "I found it in a room opposite the one with the guillotine. You know, the one labelled 'Dungeon'."

The woman's gaze rose to mine, a hint of light entering her dull eyes as her voice took on a higher tone, one of hope. "Did you see anyone in there?"

I shook my head, continuing to clear my face of tear streaks with my sleeves. "No. The cells in there were empty. The necklace was on the floor."

I thought I saw the woman's mouth twitch when I said the last part, her jaw clenching as if she was resisting the urge to do something. But after a few seconds, she huffed and removed her hand from my shoulder, letting go of the necklace with drooped eyes. "I see."

She sounded disappointed, prompting my brow to furrow. My mind flitted back to her aggressive shouting earlier, recalling she'd been shouting about the whereabouts of a 'she'. 'Does this necklace belong to the person she's looking for?'

It was the only logical conclusion I could come to based on what I'd heard. What other reason would she have had to recognise the necklace on my person if it didn't either belong to herself or someone she knew?

When the woman didn't say anything else after a moment of silence, I placed a hand over the necklace, swallowing before speaking up quietly. "Um… I can give you the necklace back if you—"

"It's not mine." I flinched at the woman's sharp interruption, watching her turn her head to face the wall while folding her arms. "You can keep it."

"A-Are you sure?" I took a step toward her and wrapped my fingers round the necklace. "It doesn't feel right for me to keep it if it belongs to—"

The woman glared at me, prompting me to take a step back at her icy tone. "Just keep it. I don't want to argue over it."

"O-Okay…" was all I could reply with, leading to the two of us falling into silence once more when she looked away again.

Although it seemed obvious now that this woman wasn't a threat to me, I couldn't bring myself to take my eyes off her, especially the mark on her cheek. The fact that it was the opposite of mine couldn't have been a coincidence, and that feeling still rang true considering she was the first 'player' I'd encountered since waking up. It had intensified now that the woman had asked about the necklace I'd randomly found, and it left so many questions lingering on the tip of my tongue.

My lips pressed together with the urge to open my mouth and ask her about everything that was currently on my mind: are you a 'player' like me? Why do you have the missing half of my mark? Who are you? How did you get here? Who does the necklace belong to? Yet my mouth stayed shut. Social interaction was never natural for me to begin with, but my wariness of this woman only made it worse.

But it seemed fate had other plans in store, because I didn't realise how long I'd been staring until she returned her gaze to me, her brow raising slightly at catching my focus on her mark. "What are you staring at?"

I bit my lip to suppress a whimper and stepped back, my jaw twitching as I tried to get my words out. At first all that left my mouth was strained noises, prompting the woman's brow to raise a little higher. "Well?"

I resorted to pointing to my burnt cheek, and suddenly I found it a little easier to speak despite stuttering. "T-That mark... T-The one on your cheek."

I did also want to mention about her eyes, as this was the first time I'd encountered someone else with red eyes aside from myself. Though I decided to keep that thought to myself; now wasn't the time and I didn't want to anger her.

The woman reached a hand up to cover her cheek, visibly flinching when she touched it. Just like me, it seemed hers was still fresh. "What about it?"

"It's… It's the missing half of mine."

"And?"

I straightened out my posture and rubbed my cheek, wincing at the sting from my touch. "Are… Are you a 'sinner' too?"

The woman snorted and rolled her eyes, her answer coming out sarcastic. "Would I be here if I wasn't?" I didn't say anything, prompting her to continue after giving me another look up and down. "Although I'll admit I wasn't expecting to find someone else here outside of who I was looking for, especially as young as you."

"I could say the same, but older."

The woman seemed to smirk at my comment, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Her attention then switched to the door behind me. "Is that the door to the next floor?"

I nodded and stepped away to face it. "I think so."

The woman placed her hand under her chin, focusing towards the handle. I decided to get a proper look at the door too now that I wasn't panicking. But when I did, I spied something that made me squint. There was a keyhole above and below the handle.

"What…?" I spoke without thinking, stepping closer to the door and putting my eye close to the keyhole above the handle. I could see through to the stairs on the other side, meaning the keyhole wasn't fake. "I don't remember these doors having two keyholes."

"You don't remember?"

I squealed and stood up straight when the woman voiced her question behind me. I whipped round to see her staring at me with narrowed eyes, but they briefly widened at my reaction. I rubbed at the back of my head at feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "S-Sorry. I have a habit of talking to myself. I forgot you were behind me."

"Have you been here before?"

I bit my lip then, wondering if it was wise for me to reveal the truth. The last thing I needed was this woman thinking I was in cahoots with the people running this 'game'. But when I saw her eyes narrow a little more, I knew that lying was probably worse.

"Years ago," I answered quietly, twirling a strand of hair round my finger. "My family lived here until the building was bought by a new owner."

The woman seemed satisfied with my answer, relaxing her expression. "I see. Quite the coincidence you wound up back here then."

I gave a wide blink at her sarcasm, having expected an accusation or two being thrown my way. Yet she took my response in stride, prompting me to quickly responding in kind with drooped eyes. "Quite the coincidence, indeed."

The woman reached into one of her jacket pockets and pulled out a piece of folded paper, completely dismissing our last topic of conversation with a hum of thought. I was surprised she hadn't become suspicious of me, and part of me was tempted to ask why that was so. Yet I decided to hold my tongue as I watched her open the paper out and skim its contents.

'Probably not a good idea, Lona. Unless she brings it up herself, don't breach the topic. It might have the opposite effect of what you were hoping for.'

The woman eventually glanced at the door again. "Huh. So, the term keys was supposed to be plural for each floor and not just collectively. That explains the double locks."

"Wait." I approached the woman's side and peeked at the paper in her hands. "Is this the note with the instructions on it?"

"Indeed, it is."

A quick skim read proved she was right. The note was worded pretty much the same as mine, even with the introduction referring to her as a 'Sinner of Hearts'. That pretty much confirmed my suspicions of the address matching the marks we were given. The only difference to my note was the 'crime' she'd been 'charged with', which called her a 'witch' in place of where I'd been called 'a living embodiment of a demon-spawn'.

'That explains the nickname the Executioner used…' "I'm surprised you kept it."

"As angry as I am at them for throwing me in here against my will, they handed me knowledge on a silver platter. I wasn't about to throw it away." She gave me a sideways glance and a slight smirk. "Where's yours?"

I stroked my cheek with a finger and briefly looked down. "… Ripped in half and scrunched into a ball somewhere on the first floor." I saw the woman's smirk widen, prompting me to shrug and slip my hands into my pockets. "I lost my cool."

"And unfairly took it out on an innocent piece of paper. Poor thing didn't stand a chance."

I smiled faintly at her sarcasm as she returned to reading the note.

'Huh. She actually sounds approachable when she isn't angry.'

"It says the keys we need to look for match our marks. Which means in our case, we'd need to find a key with a heart shape on it."

My eyes widened at remembering the ring of keys I'd picked up in the 'torture chamber', recalling the golden one with the half of a heart on top of it. I clicked my fingers. "I saw a key in the 'torture chamber' that had part of a heart on it. It was on the ring of keys."

"Is that so." The woman peeked over her shoulder at the corridor behind us, her brow furrowed. "We should probably take them just in case. They're still in the padlock. There's no way that woman would have nabbed them after what happened to her…"

The warning from the entrance to the floor repeated itself in my head then, prompting me to look at the corridor with a shudder, spurred on by the recollection of the Executioner's screeching. I could feel my hair stand on end just thinking about it. "But the note at the entrance says we can't steal from the Executioner."

The woman looked down at me with a blink. "What note?"

"It was sellotaped to the inside of the door. I saw it when I first entered. Also," I pointed to the instructions in her hands. "this says we have to obey their 'laws' to proceed safely. I assume that means we can't take anything. The Executioner pounced on me the second I tried to use those keys."

The woman scoffed at this and rolled her eyes. "Of course she would. Because that note was obviously put there to throw us off."

My brows raised at this with a wide blink. "What?"

The woman patted the piece of paper with the back of her hand, scowling down at me. "You've already read the instructions they gave you before coming up here, correct?" I nodded. "And they're exactly the same as the ones I'm holding, yes?" I nodded again. "So, you know that they're contradicting what you've probably discovered so far on this floor, don't you?"

"Contradicting?"

"Yes." She brought the note close to her face and read aloud from it. "'Beware the kingdom's residents who guard each floor. They are under orders to judge any sinners they come in contact with.' This clearly implies they're supposed to stop our efforts in escaping each floor. So, tell me,"—her lips twisted a little—"if we are supposed to obey the rules of the Executioner, how are we going to escape from her floor? She's not going to just hand the keys over, is she?"

"…" I smacked my forehead with a huff and briefly closed my eyes, realising my stupidity in that moment.

'She's right. I was so angry when I read those instructions that it never crossed my mind that this game was technically rigged. Even when that voice said it wasn't going to be easy…'

"Okay. I see your point."

"Good. We both agree taking the Executioner's key is the way to go."

I frowned and opened my eyes. "Oh, yeah. Speaking of the Executioner, where—?"

"Back there," the woman interrupted and jabbed a thumb to the corridor behind her as she turned away and pocketed her note again, walking towards the corner of the wall.

I followed her and poked my head round the corner when the two of us stopped. The door to the 'torture chamber' had stayed wide open, allowing me to see the Executioner sprawled on her front in the doorway, facedown. She was still and quiet, so I assumed she was unconscious.

My eyes widened slightly. "Oh… So, that scream and thud came from her."

"Caused by yours truly," the woman muttered. "Consider that my show of gratitude for freeing me and"—She raised a hand to rub at the back of her head with a slight wince—"my show of revenge against her."

'Ah. That must be how she ended up in the stocks.'

But then her words properly processed in my head. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Wait. How did you know it was me who helped you?"

"I came to while she was screeching at you." The woman stuck an index finger in her ear and twisted it round with an eye twitch. "Apparently, she didn't hit me hard enough to keep me down for long."

"So… were you playing possum until I freed myself?"

She shook her head and leaned her shoulder against the wall. "I was dazed. I didn't properly realise what was going on until you'd fled the room. But by then it didn't matter. I saw red and punched her down."

'She punched her?!' I briefly glanced at her closest hand and shuddered, shuffling away from her a bit. 'And I thought she couldn't get any scarier…'

I took her response as a reminder to never anger this woman in her presence. But at the same time, I also felt a little bit of relief at seeing she had no issues with me and had actually tried to help. Had she been on the side of the enemy, or prioritised her own survival, I would have been in trouble. I wouldn't have stood a chance.

'Don't judge a book by its cover is really beginning to apply here.'

"Wait." I looked between the Executioner and the woman with a furrowed brow. "Then why did you spend all of that time chasing me?"

As the woman opened her mouth to respond, a quiet groan sounded from the Executioner. The woman turned to our unconscious captor with an exasperated sigh and a squint. "I suppose that answer will have to wait." She stood from the wall and walked to the 'torture chamber', rolling up the sleeves of her jacket as she did so. "For now, we should prioritise getting somewhere away from the danger."

I slowly walked after the woman with a raised brow. "We?"

"Yes." She stopped before the Executioner and bent down to pick her up under her arms, pulling her to her feet without any effort and leaning her body against her. "I prefer to work alone. But I've encountered too many coincidences today to brush you aside. The fact we have matching marks, are currently the only victims here, and that you are somewhat familiar with this building is enough proof of that. It makes sense that we stick together until we can figure things out, doesn't it?"

I subconsciously lifted a hand to my left cheek as I watched the woman drag the Executioner over to the stocks from the doorway, only to pull my hand away when I realised it was inches from touching my face. She made a good point. Had it been up to me, I would have sailed through this 'game' without any help. Yet I knew that the floor's residents were going to be a problem, and that I wasn't smart enough to figure everything out on my own. Talking to this woman had given me some useful information, after all. And there was no way that us having matching marks and having to locate two keys that matched those marks was pure coincidence, right?

"But how do I know I can trust you?" I asked the question without thinking, continuing to observe the woman positioning the Executioner in the stocks and then slamming the top half down over her neck and wrists. "How do I know you're not going to use me and then leave me alone to fend for myself?"

The woman let out a quiet huff as she locked the stocks and removed the keys, slipping them into her jacket pocket as she faced me. "Child, I have nothing to gain from throwing you to the wolves. We're both victims here. Plus," She snarled quietly before continuing. "it's not like these people are going to be any more trustworthy."

"… True." I approached the lantern still sitting on the stone floor and picked it up; it was definitely going to come in handy. "I guess it's settled."

"Then with that out of the way," the woman strode back over to the darkened corridor and stood in the doorway, prompting me to move and stand behind her. "I propose we begin our search for the second key here, since you've apparently already checked around the room close to the entrance."

"I agree."

"Also…" There was a brief pause before the woman cleared her throat and turned her head off to the side, her next words coming out quietly. "I believe I owe you an apology. You know, for scaring you out of your wits. That wasn't my intention."

I was taken off guard by the apology, staring at her back with a wide blink to process her words. But then I was quick to shake my head and rub at the back of my neck, feeling my cheeks heat up a little at recalling my panicked reaction. "D-Don't worry about it, Miss…" I trailed off when I remembered I didn't know her name, glancing back with a furrowed brow. "Uh…"

"Call me Clarence," the woman finished, turning to me with a hand to her hip. "And you are?"

I slowly held out my hand towards her, trying to be polite despite how awkward I felt. "… Lona."

'Clarence' looked between me and my hand before smirking faintly, eventually reaching out one of her own to lightly grip mine and then firmly shake it. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Lona. I hope my 'status' as a 'witch' isn't too off-putting."

My eyes drooped at her sarcasm, responding in kind. "It's not a problem for a 'demon-spawn' like me."

The moment I saw Clarence's smirk widen with a small snort, I knew our temporary alliance had been sealed.