I walked out of the bathroom to find Ash standing in front of the door with an expression on his face that was half puzzlement half suspicion, and I couldn't blame him for either.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked me straight out. Direct guy...I like that. No beating about the bush. But then again, I guess if what the Devil had said was true, he didn't have time for crap like that.
"The Devil." I told him shortly. I didn't have time for it either.
His eyebrow rose slowly to that near-hairline position once more as he gave me another once over.
"In the bathroom?" the clerk asked. No skepticism, just curiousity.
"Yeah." I replied with a shrug, "Couldn't think of any other private spot in short notice."
"Oh."
"Uh-huh."
There was a moment of silence between us as he absorbed the information I'd just given him.
"So...what did you talk about?" Ash asked a moment later. Again, no disbelief.
"Just exactly what's been going on in this town..." I answered cooly.
"Oh." he said with a nod, taking it a lot better than I would have, "And uh...just why were you talking to the Devil?"
"Cause I work for him." I told the the S-Mart clerk honestly, "I collect escaped souls for him."
There was another few seconds of silence as he looked me over for what had to be the millionth time. It was starting to get annoying, but considering the kind of conversation we were having, I could understand.
"Oh." he said again, this time a little more unsure, "And uh, just why are you here then? Who's soul are you here to take? I mean, I hope that you're not here to try and collect me, friend, cause as nice as you seem to be, I will not be going anywhere without a fight."
And then in a movement quicker than a normal human being had any right to move, he pulled out his shotgun and shoved the barrel right into my nose.
"Got that?" he asked with a glare, "I won my freedom from those things with Linda's love, and I will NOT be taken by those things again!"
I stared at him for a second before his words penetrated. At first I thought that the Devil had been screwing around with me, and that Ash was the damned soul, but as I heard the rest, I figured out that what he was refering to was the experience which had transformed him into what he was today, what had taken his hand and most of his sanity. Not Hell, but damn close.
So carefully, I pushed the shotgun out of my face and backed off. Luckily, he wasn't as trigger happy as he appeared and so chose not to blast my face all the way back to the fiery pit. I appreciated this greatly, and expressed this with a wide, albeit weak, smile.
"I'm not here to take you, okay?" I explained, putting my hands up to show my honesty. "In fact, the Devil told me that I ought to...join forces with you...since you have experience with this shit."
"And you trust the Devil?" Ash asked skeptically.
I shrugged. When you say it that way..."He's not so bad once you get to know him," I said, amazed at the words that were coming out of my mouth, "Well, actually, he is, but he usually doesn't pull stupid crap when it concerns my work for him."
"Like any annoying manager..." the clerk said, cracking a smile.
"Yeah, pretty much..." I told him with a smiliar twist of my lips.
Another moment of silence passed, and then I broke it.
"So," I asked nervously, "Would you be interested in helping me find my Damned soul?"
My answer was a twirling of the shotgun, and it's return to the holster on his back, not to mention a hand held out in an offer to shake.
"And the Devil told you that all the attacks were caused by the Damned soul that's here?" he questioned with his hand in the air. But I never told him that, so how did he-
"I listened at the door..." he told me with one of those grins, "Figured that it'd save time."
"So you heard..."
"Nothing I didn't already know or need to know." he told me quickly with not even the slightest bit of embarrassment.
"Oh." Now it was my turn to use today's favorite word.
"One of reasons I'm agreeing to this is because you had the pure cajones to call him a 'sulfur-smelling ass'..." Ash informed me with an expression that told me he was holding in laughter.
And that's when I put my hand in his and shook, all the while wondering just what I was getting into THIS time.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked me straight out. Direct guy...I like that. No beating about the bush. But then again, I guess if what the Devil had said was true, he didn't have time for crap like that.
"The Devil." I told him shortly. I didn't have time for it either.
His eyebrow rose slowly to that near-hairline position once more as he gave me another once over.
"In the bathroom?" the clerk asked. No skepticism, just curiousity.
"Yeah." I replied with a shrug, "Couldn't think of any other private spot in short notice."
"Oh."
"Uh-huh."
There was a moment of silence between us as he absorbed the information I'd just given him.
"So...what did you talk about?" Ash asked a moment later. Again, no disbelief.
"Just exactly what's been going on in this town..." I answered cooly.
"Oh." he said with a nod, taking it a lot better than I would have, "And uh...just why were you talking to the Devil?"
"Cause I work for him." I told the the S-Mart clerk honestly, "I collect escaped souls for him."
There was another few seconds of silence as he looked me over for what had to be the millionth time. It was starting to get annoying, but considering the kind of conversation we were having, I could understand.
"Oh." he said again, this time a little more unsure, "And uh, just why are you here then? Who's soul are you here to take? I mean, I hope that you're not here to try and collect me, friend, cause as nice as you seem to be, I will not be going anywhere without a fight."
And then in a movement quicker than a normal human being had any right to move, he pulled out his shotgun and shoved the barrel right into my nose.
"Got that?" he asked with a glare, "I won my freedom from those things with Linda's love, and I will NOT be taken by those things again!"
I stared at him for a second before his words penetrated. At first I thought that the Devil had been screwing around with me, and that Ash was the damned soul, but as I heard the rest, I figured out that what he was refering to was the experience which had transformed him into what he was today, what had taken his hand and most of his sanity. Not Hell, but damn close.
So carefully, I pushed the shotgun out of my face and backed off. Luckily, he wasn't as trigger happy as he appeared and so chose not to blast my face all the way back to the fiery pit. I appreciated this greatly, and expressed this with a wide, albeit weak, smile.
"I'm not here to take you, okay?" I explained, putting my hands up to show my honesty. "In fact, the Devil told me that I ought to...join forces with you...since you have experience with this shit."
"And you trust the Devil?" Ash asked skeptically.
I shrugged. When you say it that way..."He's not so bad once you get to know him," I said, amazed at the words that were coming out of my mouth, "Well, actually, he is, but he usually doesn't pull stupid crap when it concerns my work for him."
"Like any annoying manager..." the clerk said, cracking a smile.
"Yeah, pretty much..." I told him with a smiliar twist of my lips.
Another moment of silence passed, and then I broke it.
"So," I asked nervously, "Would you be interested in helping me find my Damned soul?"
My answer was a twirling of the shotgun, and it's return to the holster on his back, not to mention a hand held out in an offer to shake.
"And the Devil told you that all the attacks were caused by the Damned soul that's here?" he questioned with his hand in the air. But I never told him that, so how did he-
"I listened at the door..." he told me with one of those grins, "Figured that it'd save time."
"So you heard..."
"Nothing I didn't already know or need to know." he told me quickly with not even the slightest bit of embarrassment.
"Oh." Now it was my turn to use today's favorite word.
"One of reasons I'm agreeing to this is because you had the pure cajones to call him a 'sulfur-smelling ass'..." Ash informed me with an expression that told me he was holding in laughter.
And that's when I put my hand in his and shook, all the while wondering just what I was getting into THIS time.