CHAPTER SIX -
DRU'S FUNNY VALENTINE
The discomfort that Django had felt about "The New York Sit-Com Massacre" was nothing, compared to what he was feeling now. They were at the demons' party in some abandoned building. Django didn't exactly feel entirely welcome. Normally when he was with Dru, demons were accepting of him. This time however, Dru and her demon friends had just had their little massacre together. And that seemed to create a special bond between them, that Django was excluded from. There was at best, an air of condescension towards him. At worst the demons were mentally sizing him up, for any number of tasty dishes.
That wasn't the real problem though. Drusilla almost seemed to have forgotten about Django since the party started. She had been busy catching up with old friends. The real problem was how increasingly flirty she was becoming around the demons. And around Drusilla, the demons flocked like moths to flame. Flaunting their muscles, baring their teeth and letting Drusilla touch their horns!
Django had been drinking in a corner for a while, seemingly forgotten. He was trying not to let his fears and emotions carry him away. Now he was steeling himself towards trying to get a chance to talk to Dru alone. But for the first time, he was almost afraid. That was crazy, he told himself. She was passing close to him, on her way to another gathering of demons. Django reached out to gently take her arm.
Drusilla turned towards him and her face lit up with recognition. "Django, love! Come and meet Cuthbert with me. He's a flame demon. Used to fancy me mad, he did. But Spike used to keep him away."
"I'd rather not Dru. Can't we talk in private for a moment." Django tried to persuade her.
"Oh come on." Drusilla ignored his words. "It'll be fun. He's such a character."
"No Dru!" Django's words came out harder than he had intended towards her. Seeing her look surprised at him, he tried to soften his tone. "Can't we just go somewhere else. The two of us."
"I don't think I like you taking that tone with me, dearie!" Drusilla's eyelids fluttered with agitation. "I could tear your arms off and beat you to death with them if I took the notion."
"Come on Dru. I'm sorry." Django tried again. "It's just I don't feel very welcome here and I don't like how the demons act around you. It's like they don't realise we're together."
"You're jealous!" Drusilla hissed at him. "Talking rudely to your princess! I just want to have some fun. I can't help it if humans don't know how."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Django asked hurt. "We've had fun haven't we?" By now their disagreement had come to the attention of some of the demons, who now gathered around the couple. So much for privacy.
"Look at him!" Drusilla decided to make an example of her one time companion. "Thinking he was in charge for a minute. Weak one don't even have a drop of blood on him!"
The demons around their raven haired goddess laughed in Django's face. "Don't love." Django said, eyes welling a bit.
"Love!" Drusilla spat the word out. She became more agitated now as if having some kind of fit. "I don't like him anymore! Take him away! I can't abide how disgusting he is to me! Filthy beast!" Drusilla turned and fled from the crowd. The demons snarled (and leered?) at Django.
Django fought valiantly to contain his composure, but it was a losing battle. He was even less welcome here now. And it had happened so fast he wasn't even sure who's fault it had been. Turning from the demons who rounded on him, he absentmindedly grabbed a bottle of something and fled from the scene. Drusilla seemed to be laughing somewhere in the party. Whatever happened next was at best a blur to Django.
****
Drusilla was leaving the party with just about an hour to dawn. She had three demon friends with her. One of them was Roger, the nice chaos demon. Another, obviously Cuthbert was all aflame walking beside her. "Don't want you getting near the gasoline in the limo." Dru laughed flirtily. Walking along the alley Drusilla spotted a familiar form.
It was Django. And he was lying face down, completely comatose. A bottle of something was lying next to him. "So that's where the Flaming Warthog Juice went is it?" the third demon sneered.
Drusilla was about to laugh at first. Then something more tender came over her. She bent down to examine the body. Worry crossed her brow. Roger joined her. "I didn't even know humans could handle something that strong. He looks in a bad way."
Cuthbert flamed up even more. "Let me burn him for you. Leave nothing but ashes!"
Drusilla was horrified. Roger began to ease the other two demons off a bit. "What have you been doing to yourself?" Drusilla asked her comatose companion. "Lying there, like a little broken doll. I've nearly destroyed you, haven't I?"
Drusilla shook a little as if cold. "Roger, help me get him to the car." Roger complied. The other two demons began to try to persuade Dru to leave the human. "Don't touch me!" Dru shook them off. "Get out of my sight, wretched things." Her eyes blazed at them with hate, just then. She began to walk with Roger to the limo, patting Django's head with concern.
****
Django was feverish for days. Things happened to him in flashes, in delirium. He was moving at one point. It felt to him like he was on a ship. Sometimes he saw demons screaming at him, ready to rip him apart. Others, he could sense his Dru somewhere nearby, in the darkness around him.
At one point he awoke, in a dimly lit room somewhere. A cloth was on his head and he felt aflame. He saw Drusilla in a seat, next to his bed. She was wearing that other face, that he'd only seen a couple of times before. And she was cradling what looked like a corpse in her lap, suckling at a wound. Turning and seeing she had a spectator, Dru said softly, "Go back to sleep love. It's just a dream."
The next time Django awoke, the fever was gone. He had regained some of his senses, but was still very weak. Drusilla sat beside his bed, watching concernedly. "Oooh I knew I could keep you!" she said, triumphant. "I had a pet bird once. And I kept it fed I did." She seemed to remember something then and decided against continuing that story.
"What happened to the demons?" Django asked warily.
"Gone they have." Dru took his hand in hers. "Just the two of us now dearie. Almost lost you I did. Don't know what you was thinking, drinking that stuff. But I'm here to help you get better."
"Is that Miss Edith?" Django asked, peering at a form across the room on another chair.
Drusilla nodded and seemed agitated again. "I can't abide to have her look at me like this. Blames me for this. Says I can't hold onto the good ones."
Drusilla brightened again. "We need to go on a nice holiday after this. Once you're all better. That's enough for now. Later I'll fetch you some soup. Rest love." She kissed Django on his brow. And for the next few hours, he dreamed. More pleasantly than before. Neither of them said much about the incident of the party again.
DRU'S FUNNY VALENTINE
The discomfort that Django had felt about "The New York Sit-Com Massacre" was nothing, compared to what he was feeling now. They were at the demons' party in some abandoned building. Django didn't exactly feel entirely welcome. Normally when he was with Dru, demons were accepting of him. This time however, Dru and her demon friends had just had their little massacre together. And that seemed to create a special bond between them, that Django was excluded from. There was at best, an air of condescension towards him. At worst the demons were mentally sizing him up, for any number of tasty dishes.
That wasn't the real problem though. Drusilla almost seemed to have forgotten about Django since the party started. She had been busy catching up with old friends. The real problem was how increasingly flirty she was becoming around the demons. And around Drusilla, the demons flocked like moths to flame. Flaunting their muscles, baring their teeth and letting Drusilla touch their horns!
Django had been drinking in a corner for a while, seemingly forgotten. He was trying not to let his fears and emotions carry him away. Now he was steeling himself towards trying to get a chance to talk to Dru alone. But for the first time, he was almost afraid. That was crazy, he told himself. She was passing close to him, on her way to another gathering of demons. Django reached out to gently take her arm.
Drusilla turned towards him and her face lit up with recognition. "Django, love! Come and meet Cuthbert with me. He's a flame demon. Used to fancy me mad, he did. But Spike used to keep him away."
"I'd rather not Dru. Can't we talk in private for a moment." Django tried to persuade her.
"Oh come on." Drusilla ignored his words. "It'll be fun. He's such a character."
"No Dru!" Django's words came out harder than he had intended towards her. Seeing her look surprised at him, he tried to soften his tone. "Can't we just go somewhere else. The two of us."
"I don't think I like you taking that tone with me, dearie!" Drusilla's eyelids fluttered with agitation. "I could tear your arms off and beat you to death with them if I took the notion."
"Come on Dru. I'm sorry." Django tried again. "It's just I don't feel very welcome here and I don't like how the demons act around you. It's like they don't realise we're together."
"You're jealous!" Drusilla hissed at him. "Talking rudely to your princess! I just want to have some fun. I can't help it if humans don't know how."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Django asked hurt. "We've had fun haven't we?" By now their disagreement had come to the attention of some of the demons, who now gathered around the couple. So much for privacy.
"Look at him!" Drusilla decided to make an example of her one time companion. "Thinking he was in charge for a minute. Weak one don't even have a drop of blood on him!"
The demons around their raven haired goddess laughed in Django's face. "Don't love." Django said, eyes welling a bit.
"Love!" Drusilla spat the word out. She became more agitated now as if having some kind of fit. "I don't like him anymore! Take him away! I can't abide how disgusting he is to me! Filthy beast!" Drusilla turned and fled from the crowd. The demons snarled (and leered?) at Django.
Django fought valiantly to contain his composure, but it was a losing battle. He was even less welcome here now. And it had happened so fast he wasn't even sure who's fault it had been. Turning from the demons who rounded on him, he absentmindedly grabbed a bottle of something and fled from the scene. Drusilla seemed to be laughing somewhere in the party. Whatever happened next was at best a blur to Django.
****
Drusilla was leaving the party with just about an hour to dawn. She had three demon friends with her. One of them was Roger, the nice chaos demon. Another, obviously Cuthbert was all aflame walking beside her. "Don't want you getting near the gasoline in the limo." Dru laughed flirtily. Walking along the alley Drusilla spotted a familiar form.
It was Django. And he was lying face down, completely comatose. A bottle of something was lying next to him. "So that's where the Flaming Warthog Juice went is it?" the third demon sneered.
Drusilla was about to laugh at first. Then something more tender came over her. She bent down to examine the body. Worry crossed her brow. Roger joined her. "I didn't even know humans could handle something that strong. He looks in a bad way."
Cuthbert flamed up even more. "Let me burn him for you. Leave nothing but ashes!"
Drusilla was horrified. Roger began to ease the other two demons off a bit. "What have you been doing to yourself?" Drusilla asked her comatose companion. "Lying there, like a little broken doll. I've nearly destroyed you, haven't I?"
Drusilla shook a little as if cold. "Roger, help me get him to the car." Roger complied. The other two demons began to try to persuade Dru to leave the human. "Don't touch me!" Dru shook them off. "Get out of my sight, wretched things." Her eyes blazed at them with hate, just then. She began to walk with Roger to the limo, patting Django's head with concern.
****
Django was feverish for days. Things happened to him in flashes, in delirium. He was moving at one point. It felt to him like he was on a ship. Sometimes he saw demons screaming at him, ready to rip him apart. Others, he could sense his Dru somewhere nearby, in the darkness around him.
At one point he awoke, in a dimly lit room somewhere. A cloth was on his head and he felt aflame. He saw Drusilla in a seat, next to his bed. She was wearing that other face, that he'd only seen a couple of times before. And she was cradling what looked like a corpse in her lap, suckling at a wound. Turning and seeing she had a spectator, Dru said softly, "Go back to sleep love. It's just a dream."
The next time Django awoke, the fever was gone. He had regained some of his senses, but was still very weak. Drusilla sat beside his bed, watching concernedly. "Oooh I knew I could keep you!" she said, triumphant. "I had a pet bird once. And I kept it fed I did." She seemed to remember something then and decided against continuing that story.
"What happened to the demons?" Django asked warily.
"Gone they have." Dru took his hand in hers. "Just the two of us now dearie. Almost lost you I did. Don't know what you was thinking, drinking that stuff. But I'm here to help you get better."
"Is that Miss Edith?" Django asked, peering at a form across the room on another chair.
Drusilla nodded and seemed agitated again. "I can't abide to have her look at me like this. Blames me for this. Says I can't hold onto the good ones."
Drusilla brightened again. "We need to go on a nice holiday after this. Once you're all better. That's enough for now. Later I'll fetch you some soup. Rest love." She kissed Django on his brow. And for the next few hours, he dreamed. More pleasantly than before. Neither of them said much about the incident of the party again.
