This particular one-shot takes place at the end of Chapter 17, when Rhys comes to visit Emerald in her room after the "disastrous" movie date and subsequent kiss. He's looking for answers...

Then again, so is Emerald.

Emerald was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she almost missed the soft knock on her door. She jumped slightly, caught off guard by the sudden possibility of a visitor. "Wh-who's there?"

"May I come in, Dame Emerald?"

She froze, hardly believing who had come to visit her. "S-sure, Rhys. Door's unlocked."

The spectacled Daemos opened the door, slipping in and closing it quickly behind him. The move seemed odd to her, but she couldn't explain exactly why. It might have had something to do with the deep blush still tinging his cheeks. "I believe we need to have a talk. Just the two of us."

The veteran nodded her head slowly, gesturing towards her desk chair. "Take a seat. We can talk for as long as you want."

Rhys pulled the chair out towards the bed until it was only about two feet away, turning it around to face her before settling himself. He rested his elbows on his legs, folding his hands in front of his mouth as he made eye contact with her. "Why did you and Princess Ava caress us?"

"Caress?" She gave him a confused look. "Are...you talking about the kisses we gave each of you on the cheek?"

He nodded. "On Daemos, we call that caress. It is...not something done casually, or even in sight of others."

Emerald paused, thinking hard. 'If we just accidentally engaged ourselves to all five of them, that's going to make everything a whole lot more complicated moving forward.' She met his eyes again. "Does a caress have anything to do with courting?"

Rhys nodded. "It is an act only done between two Daemos who are actively courting, if not already married. It is definitely not something done so openly."

"Really?" She tilted her head as she thought. "Kissing is very common here on Earth. Parents kiss their young children, teenagers kiss each other...a lot..." She let out a small laugh. "Hell, some people kiss each other on the cheek as a casual greeting."

"Earth is a very strange place." He frowned. "You humans are all very open in your affections and emotions, especially compared to Daemos."

"Yeah, I can see how you'd get that impression." Emerald grinned at the startled look he threw her way. "Oh, don't give me that. It's fairly obvious Daemos is a place where you guys always need to give off the appearance of being strong and in control, where any sign of sentiment is a sign of weakness." She shook her head. "It's why Asch is always so aggressive towards us: on your world, a leader needs to be in command of his followers at all times."

Rhys stared at her as if truly seeing her for the first time. He knew the larger human had deduced quite a few things about Daemos culture, but he hadn't thought her insight would go this deep. 'Maybe it was a mistake to ignore her,' he thought. 'While we've been so focused on courting Princess Ava, we've left Dame Emerald completely free to observe us without consequence.' He cleared his throat quietly. "What other...opinions...have you formed about Daemos culture?"

To his surprise, she let out another soft laugh. "Still trying to be in control, I see." She leaned forward, studying him intently all of a sudden. "How about this: why don't you let me ramble for a bit, see if I've picked up anything about Daemos culture from observing you guys. I mean, it only seems fair, since I've been answering all of your questions since you first popped into our apartment eleven days ago."

"I, uh..."

Emerald tilted her head to one side, her movements languid even though her eyes were still sharply focused on his face. "You know, you don't have to say anything. I'm just in a chatty mood this evening." She gave him a lazy grin. "Come on, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

Rhys was suddenly regretting his decision to come into her room. For whatever reason, this place seemed the one space in the apartment where she was completely in control of herself. However, he also knew it was better if he could gauge how much the woman had picked up so he could formulate a proper response...if it came down to it. "All right. Let's see what you think you've picked up."

She huffed out a humorless laugh, sensing the change in him. "Oh, now you're immediately on-guard again. That's no fun." She leaned back on her bed, propping her body up with her hands. "Okay then, we'll start off simple: I think you Daemos have some sort of 'translation magic' that's inherent in your species."

He started again, off-guard at the apparent innocence of her statement. "W-what makes you say that?"

Her laugh was a little more authentic as she waved him off. "You guys come from a world so removed from ours, obviously with a very different history and development path, yet you have absolutely no difficulty in communicating with us. In fact, the only words you stumble over sometimes are ones that relate to things you never would've encountered because your world hasn't gone though an Industrial Revolution."

Rhys tried not to let his eyes glazed over as she plunged ahead, desperate to keep up with her thoughts. "In-dust-tree-all...?"

"It's..." Emerald paused as she gathered her thoughts. "Huh, now that you mention it, I suppose that explanation really didn't help anything at all." She sat up a bit. "I guess the best way I could describe it would be that our worlds developed in two different ways. While Earth veered away from magic in favor of things almost anyone can learn to make, Daemos stayed on that path. As a result, you've had no need to develop technological advances, when your magic is doing everything you require. That's why you get so confused by things Ava and I see as common and mundane, why you stumble over the words we use to describe them: you literally have no reference point for it." She motioned towards his face. "Like the glasses: I remember you mentioned none of the spells you tried before were able to last as long at correcting your eyesight like the glasses could."

He nodded as he wrapped his head around the example. It was true: Earth appeared to have developed means for humans without magic to be able to live independent lives on their own. It was certainly different from any measures employed on Daemos...

"Hey, did I break you?" She waved her hand at him from the bed, grinning lopsidedly.

"Uh, my apologies." Rhys smiled softly back at her. "It does appear our worlds have gone in very different directions." He thought for a moment. "That actually might explain why we reacted the way we did when we first arrived..."

"Oh? I don't think I heard that part of the story from when you first met Ava."

"We were not...prepared for the environment when we first came through. The air was thick and we had trouble acclimating ourselves." He paused as he remembered. "It was bright, and heavy, and hard to breathe."

"Hmm." Emerald let out a soft hum as she thought. "It...could've been the pollution in the air. If Daemos doesn't have technology like Earth, then it makes sense you wouldn't have the same air composition that we do." She grinned at him. "But hey, at least you guys got lucky to find a world with a mostly compatible climate."

"Lady Grandma and I did our research well."

"Oh, I'm sure you did." She relaxed back on her hands again. "What's a little odd to me is some of the words that don't seem to translate for you guys."

"Such as?"

"Cooking, for one. You all really seem to enjoy the food I make, but it was a bit confusing when you didn't seem to know how it was made." Emerald focused back on his face. "Do Daemos use magic to create all their meals? Or do you, like, go out and absorb moonlight or something when Ava and I are asleep?"

The last part was so absurd, Rhys couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled out. "Of course not! We eat food just as you do. The fact of the matter is, we only need a fraction of what you humans consume to survive."

"And yet, with all your wondrous magic, it never occurred to anyone on Daemos to make something like ice cream?"

"That -" The Daemos cut himself off as he considered her words. "I...do not actually know why we have not developed something similar."

Emerald raised her hand, like a student waiting to be called on by the teacher. "Care to hear my idea?"

Rhys shook himself from his musings, flashing her an inviting smile. "Of course."

"You guys don't have animals."

The response made his expression falter. "Wha -"

"Animals. Like Johnny Cat." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "If you guys need to hide your horns because they 'glow' when you're hunting, then what exactly are you hunting?"

"When did -?"

"Leif. On the day you first went out with Ava and discovered the joy of ice cream."

Rhys paused, trying to think back to that day, his eyes subtly widening as he recalled the incident in question. 'She remembers things like that?' he thought worriedly. He frowned as he realized none of them had been as careful about maintaining a consistent story as they should've been...

...and now it was coming back to haunt them. Instead of panicking, the Daemos straightened up to meet her gaze as well. "Well then, what do you think we hunt?"

She shook her head. "I'm not answering that. It'd just give you an excuse to kill me, if you thought I'd be a threat to your mission." She leaned back, looking away from him for a moment. "Besides, I need to make sure none of you do anything Ava."

"What makes you think we'd hurt Ava?!" Rhys felt more offended at the fact she thought they'd injure the smaller human than anything else she'd accused them of so far.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that Asch and Leif have been fighting with each other about who 'gets to kill' Ava since you all first got here. Or that Asch regularly threatens to burn my home to the ground, while Leif has made it a habit of sneaking into Ava's room every night and contemplating whether or not he's going to stab her!"

"Those aren't -! I mean, that's only two of us! It seems unfair to judge all of our motivations based on the actions of those two in particular!"

"Well, it's not like any of you actually love her!" Emerald shot back, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. She held up a hand, raising a finger as she named off each Daemos. "Noi just wants her to increase his own status, Asch is trying to avoid something and seems to think Ava is exactly what he needs to get out of it, Leif only wants her because he knows Asch does and wants to piss him off, and you..." She stopped, biting her lip to cut off any more words.

Rhys narrowed his eyes. "What about me?"

She shook her head. "I don't know exactly what it is, but you seem more obsessed with the idea of becoming 'King of the Earth' than you do about being a good match for Ava." She seemed to deflate a bit, putting her hand back down on the bed. "You talk a big game, but I don't think you understand how things work here on Earth at all."

Silence stretched out between the two of them, tension thick in the air until the Daemos finally broke it. "What about Pierce?"

Emerald flinched when he said the large Daemos's name, refusing to look back at him. "He...he might actually care about her. Like, genuinely care about her. Even before you guys found out about her parents, he was doing little things just to make her happy. Like the cereal. He's shown honest interest in her since you guys first came here." Her shoulders slumped a little more. "And that hurts more than anything else."

Rhys studied her in silence, his own anger dissipating even as his concern grew. 'Emerald...is attaching herself to Pierce. Even though she gave all of us the kiss, he is the one she really wants.' His mind automatically began to think of ways to use this against her, but he brought it to a halt. For some reason, it didn't feel right to take advantage of her feelings like this. He also recalled what Lorelai had said to them only hours ago at the movie theater. 'Don't make her feel like a back-up in case things don't work out with Ava. That's a really shitty thing to do to someone.'

He started as he heard a small sniffle come from the human, shocked when he saw a tear trace its way down her cheek before she viciously wiped it away. 'Ava said birthdays for humans are supposed to be special. All we've done today is upset her.' He carefully reached out and took her hand in his, drawing a surprised gasp from the human.

"W-what're you doing?!" Emerald looked down at her hand in his, shocked when he pulled her easily towards him and embraced her in a hug.

"I apologize," Rhys murmured, burying his face in her hair as he held her close. "Today was supposed to be for you, and we all did nothing but cause you trouble and worry." He gently ran his hand over her back, feeling the tension in her body.

She didn't relax into his touch like he expected. Instead, the human pushed herself up so she was looking him in the eye. "Daemos...are all very confusing." Her mouth twitched as she tried to keep down a smile. "You do so many frustrating things, drive me and Ava absolutely insane, and yet...there's something about you that compels us to keep trying. To not want to give up on you."

He met her gaze steadily, hand tracing small circles on her back as he continued to distract her. "Why do you think that is?"

Emerald frowned as she furrowed her eyebrows. "I think...it's that we want to see the good in you." She let out a breathy chuckle. "Because the alternative is something so frightening, it's easier to believe the lies you tell us and just go along with it."

"Lies?"

She nodded. "I know you guys are lying about the 'monster' or whatever that's supposedly going to devour your world, but that doesn't mean there isn't a real threat that made you come to Earth." She held his gaze intently. "Despite all the bravado you Daemos toss around, there's a vulnerability underneath you're all desperate to hide."

Rhys's fingers paused almost imperceptibly before resuming their track. "Does it matter what our motivations are?" He threw the question out casually, even as his other hand summoned a small ice spike behind her head. 'If she knows what we're really here for, there is no way we can allow her to live.'

A deadly silence fell over the room as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Finally, Emerald broke the standoff. "As long as Ava is okay, I don't really care." She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his collarbone. "You can put that thing away: it's only going to upset her if you kill me."

He stared at the human in his arms. "You know?"

She nodded carefully. "What else are you supposed to do? Here's this useless little human, no magic, yet it seems she's the one standing between you and your goal. All that's left to decide is if it's worth the price to accomplish your goal." He felt her shudder slightly under his fingertips. "Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I was okay with dying. But if it means Ava is safe, then I guess it's my responsibility."

Rhys quickly dismissed the ice spike, wrapping both his arms around her as he leaned back. 'This human is full of surprises,' he thought, breathing in the scent of her hair. It occurred to him this was the closest they'd consciously been to each other: they'd both been too distracted after that disastrous trip to the sacred mall to realize their close proximity.

Emerald let out a soft laugh, leaning into him a little more. "You know, if we stay like this for much longer, I might be tempted to kiss you again."

"W-what?!" He threw his hands off of her as if he'd been burned.

"Oh, relax." The human pushed herself up, leaning in to study his face. They were so close now he could feel her breath on his face. "As adorable and charming as you are, we both know it wouldn't work out." She booped him gently on the nose. "So, off you go."

He sat stunned in the chair as Emerald carefully disentangled herself from his lap. He wasn't sure when, but she had completely taken control of the situation right out from under him. She stood over him and motioned towards the door. "I trust you can find you way back to the others? I have a few things to do before I go to bed, and I don't need an audience for them."

"Oh, uh, of course." Rhys stood slowly, not taking his eyes off of her. "Dame Emerald, I - "

She shook her head, smiling softly at him. "We're done for tonight. I'll see you and the others tomorrow. Maybe we can talk some more then." She looked over towards the door again. "Goodnight, Rhys."

The spectacled Daemos showed himself out, his thoughts even more confused than they'd been when he first came to visit her. 'This visit was supposed to answer my questions,' he mused as he wandered back towards the portal. 'How did I lose control of the situation so quickly?' One thing was for sure...

Emerald was not a human to be underestimated.