Hi hi!
Before we jump into this, this has nothing to do with From Ash to Dust. I might give a nod to that story every now and then, but other then that wall break, no. This is a whole different story that I've been thinking of for a while.
With that said, this story's main setting is hell. If you don't like demons, demonology, satanic stuff and/or satanic-like symbols...
...Then why are you here?
Seriously, without really trying, a lot of my stories somehow end up having some sort of odd demon reference(s).
Anyway, this new Black butler fanfic takes place (ideally) BEFORE Ciel.
Also, the basic idea of this story is from "Sebastian X Demon!Reader His Princess", by "forevergotenandbra". At the time that I came up with this idea for a story, the person who wrote this (Shout out to the person, please don't sue me for using your idea in my own way) was either on hiatus or dropped the story for a bit, because it wasn't finished. So, with that said, I really liked the idea, but I wanted to change it up a little.
So yes, with that said, be sure to check out the story that gave me the original idea!
And now, hoping that the internet isn't mad with me for "stealing an idea"... ONWARDS!
Long ago, before creation, God tossed an angel from heaven. For the angel's foul treachery, he was casted out of perfection, never to return.
This angel fell and became the ultimate evil, the prince of all evils.
Satan.
With the power the first devil still had, he formed and crafted the hellish fiery landscape he fell in: his kingdom.
Hell.
With whatever corrupt divine power he had left, the land was divided to fit his image. He twisted the landscape into an unholy abomination, molding it into a crude imitation of heaven in his spite.
In the middle was the blood-brick castle, where Satan himself resided. The farther out you go, the more people you see, as the tall houses become forgotten shacks.
There was the Rift, named for the fact that the area was the drop off point into a place lower than hell, where most lower-class demons lived. There was Gehenna, where those who fucked up big time in life were sent for eternal punishment, whether it be to stand in a lake under a tree or roll a rock up a hill for all eternity (For what it's worth, the choices in punishment were rather extensive). There was Limbo, where those who died of natural sin were sent to exist without (much) pain. Then, there was the "capital" of hell, which stood with no name.
Not that it needed one, really.
Like on the surface, demons are divided as well. There were the succubus and incubus, creatures born from lust. There was Legion, the demon who was many. There were the Devils, the children of Satan, and the strongest types of demons. There are the simple everyday demons that lived out eternity in this hell, while there were also those wicked enough to be banned from both heaven and earth.
Though different, they all had one thing in common.
All of them are fallen.
All of them rally to Lucifer.
All of them await their revenge.
But of the mighty, those who would rip and tear for their lord without question, there were a handful that, honestly, could not give less of a fuck.
Within the Rift, near the ridge that separates "land" from abyss, a small "apartment" stood among others, looking just as decrepit and crummy as the ones around it.
In said apartment, a certain demon was slowly rising from bed, yawning. She stretched her arms, slowly sliding off of the bed…
…Only to fall back asleep on the floor.
With her lethargy all but rolling off of her to sink on the floor as she did, she spent another good fifteen minutes on the floor before rising, rubbing her eyes.
She pulled a hand through her long curly brown hair, tugging on one of the red strands in a feeble attempt to wake up faster. Slowly she pried open her dark violet eyes, before yawning once again. She reached up to one of the two cat ears perched on the top of her head, picking out some lint from her ear before finally staggering to her feet.
It was an even slower walk over to her dresser, being the only other thing in her tiny bedroom, before changing into the usual: a casual long sleeve V-neck black shirt, a pair of (barely-intact) shorts, and a pair of black boots.
Ah yes, her favorite outfit: The only clothing she'd ever bothered to purchase and keep in decent condition.
Finally, she gave her reflection a once over, the mirror image copying her dastardly smile and finger guns to perfection, "Thy body be banging, bitch." She grinned, tugging the hoodie from the corner of the mirror before pulling it up and over her head.
With an almost triumphant laugh, she then did what any other sane person would do.
…She used her hoodie as a pillow and prepared to take another nap on the floor.
That plan, of course, was interrupted by the deafening noise of fists against her door.
She groaned, rising from the floor like a zombie. She shambled over in a similar manner, nearly ripping the door piece of wood from its hinges before leaning on it casually, eyes fogged over with haze at the sight of a demon in full armor.
"What?" She groaned, rubbing her eyes, watching as the demon's long golden yellow tail flicked about in an almost skittish manner.
Had she been awake, she would have laughed at how the demon stiffened up, "Are you…Lilim?" Something about the way he held himself made it seem as if he already knew the answer.
"...I'm sorry, who?" She shook her head, as if it would help clear the haze from her head. Finally, she took a step to the side, giving the demon the full view of her crappy apartment, "No one else lives here, my dude." She smiled, before doing a sort of mock bow, "Between you and me, I'd prefer Kuro, yeah? Just finished some service in some place called Japan, so my assigned name's kinda stuck."
"I… Yes, of course, forgive me." He said, his bow eliciting a small snicker from the cat demon. Not that she'd ever admit it to his face, or anything. "I was sent here on official business."
"Yeah, no shit, even I can put that much together," She snickered, wondering how long it would take to break this guy, "Look… Umm, 'Mr. demon guard'? Yeah, I'll just call you that for now."
Even with the helmet over his head, she could feel his composure and civility straining to remain, "…Marax."
"Nice to meet ya, Mar."
"…Please don't call me that."
"Aww, don't be like that, Mar-Mar." Kuro couldn't help the giggle. As girlish as it was, the very sound was dripping malice, as well as a sadistic enjoyment of this guard's discomfort.
It was almost worth her ruined morning routine.
He seemed to tense, looking like he was going to continue on, only to instead reach into his back pocket. As if the scroll itself wasn't already boring enough, Kuro couldn't help but yawn as he began to unravel it, "As of this year, the records show us that you are now of age to attend the prince's 20,000th celebration party tonight. This party is the one where-."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know." Kuro cut him off, yawning, "The whole 'Choosing Ceremony' thing. Don't waste your time explaining."
"Then you know why you must show up."
"Oh, I know why I need to go." Kuro sighed, rubbing the back of her head.
Kuro could practically feel the relief on Marax, "Does this mean that you'll attend?"
She was almost disgusted with how much joy she took from pulling the hope rug out from under him, "Nope!" She cackled, before slamming the door on his face.
Once she was sure that the guard wasn't about to throw down her door or something equally stupid, Kuro did as she deemed appropriate after such a taxing interaction.
She plopped herself down on the couch.
Doing a little cat stretch, Kuro yawned into the cushions, more than happy to let her eyes slip back shut. Humans had the ten commandments, but Kuro had the golden rule:
"Thou shalt not give two shits about what bystanders think of thou lazy-ass habits."
Especially in the morning.
Or… Honestly, it was hard to know when it was morning when you live in a place akin to a red sun- You know what, no, she wasn't going to waste brain power thinking on that, she had a lot of napping and overall nothing to catch up on!
She jumped when another knock came to the door, all but growling as she stalked back over to the door, "Why does everyone decide to bother me in the damn morning!?" She groaned, before ripping open the door.
"Listen, I could not give less fucks about your damn girl scout- Oh." Kuro grinned, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, as she looked over her neighbor, "Hey, Vale."
For some reason, the tiger demon growled at the nickname, a silent fury behind his aero blue eyes. He took a moment to run a hand through his blond hair, as if brushing down the natural spikes would help him calm down.
"I hate it when you call me Vale. Stop calling me Vale. How many times do I need to-"
"Like I would care, Vale." Kuro yawned, giving his stupid tank top the usual "why are you like this" look. Honestly, he didn't need to wear the orange and black striped thing, people just needed to catch sight of the tail and know what he was all about. It was really that easy, "Why are you even here? Did Shax send you over, or something?"
"You don't have a choice."
"... Well, don't say that too loud, normally women don't like hearing those words coming out of a straight, white male."
"What? No, shut up, I'm talking about the 'party'." Valefor grumbled, leaning against the wall before blowing some of his hair from his face, "You really don't have a choice. You'll be forced to go whether you like it or not."
"Listen, Sasuke lite, I appreciate the whole middle-school edge vibe you've got going here, but if you're typing to scare me, it really isn't working." She didn't bother to watch his face twisting into its usual brand of uncaring confusion, instead throwing her head back to laugh as obnoxiously as demonly possible, "What are they going to do? Drag me away by force? Pull me, kicking and screaming, into the castle?"
"Yes."
Kuro blinked, "…You're shitting me."
"Not in any way, shape or form, no. Nor do I ever plan to." Valefor said, voice even and calm despite what he was saying. How he managed to keep a straight face, Kuro had no clue "I've seen it happen more than once, it really isn't pretty."
"What happens if you're on contract?"
"Why do you think they sent a guard to check on you personally?"
"And if I was up there for a bit? What then?"
"I swear, if you were anymore ridiculous, I'd consider you a clown." The tiger demon scoffed, tail flicking about as if to prove some sort of point, "We both know that you can't do that."
"…Damn." Kuro murmured, before groaning, "So, I really got no choice."
"Wow, how very astute, putting the pieces together like that. Who would have guessed?" As if his voice wasn't already dripping with sarcastic aggravation, it didn't help that his tail whipped about like a venomous snake, "Look, in the end, I don't care what you do, but don't be the idiot who puts her life on the line for something as stupid and trivial as this."
Kuro gave him a cheeky grin, "only because you insisted on it, gramps."
To her surprise, he didn't spike the back of her head with the rage of a thousand suns, instead giving a curt nod, "Good. It'll be a shame to lose a neighbor with your…Temperament."
"Don't be like that, you know I don't understand big words!" Kuro yelled as he turned to walk away, flipping her the bird as he walked back into his own apartment, closing the door behind him. Kuro made sure to give him the double bird, refusing to give him the last laugh (regardless of if he could see it or not) before doing the same.
"Fuckle," Kuro groaned, throwing herself onto the couch, "I had a morning of nothing but snooze planned…" Kuro whined into her hoodie before looking to the clock. She had a bit of time before she was forced to go to this stupid party.
She had wanted to take a nap till then, but thanks to the guard and Vale, that "I-woke-up-and-want-to-go-to-sleep" feeling was long gone. With time to kill but no motivation to waste it, she only really had one place she could go to…
She almost walked right out the door without it, smacking herself in the face before rushing back to her room. She practically tore the place apart in her search, finally finding the ring under her pillow. She couldn't help but admire the red ruby's gleam, the silver band somehow without a single smudge or fingerprint.
Shoving it into her front short's pocket, she patted it twice like a good-luck ritual before going for the door, shoving her hands comfortably into her hoodie pockets.
The moment she was out, she took a deep breath in, ready to fight and/or sleep through whatever the day would throw-
She doubled over, hacking and coughing as her lungs fought to expel the dust from her airway. Eyes watering, she made her way down the stairs, already hating everything that wasn't her bed or couch.
Even if she did live in a more rural part of Rift, she had to admit, she could have done worse. She could have done much worse.
For example, she could have lived in this shithole of a place. She could have lived in this run-down hole in the wall, the door all but obscured by the jagged rock wall that threatened to engulf it. But, despite the odd mix of Rift ghetto and an air of professionalism (two things that really had no right being anywhere near each other), Kuro had come to love the place.
The only real qualms she had with the place was the stupid name: "Roaring Fire".
Who the hell named a bar something as stupid as that?
Kuro nudged the door open with her shoulder, a lethargic smirk growing from under her hood when the chatter came to a screeching halt. "At ease, gents," Kuro sauntered through the thin crowd, "As funny as it would be, there's no need to grovel and shit your pants. I'd rather not clean it all up."
Pleased with the return of chatter, she took a seat at the bartop, planting herself on one of the nicer stools. Swinging it from side to side, she shot a toothy grin up at the demon behind the counter, "Hey, Shax, you think you can get me the strongest cup of whateverthefuck? Something that'll knock Zagan off his feet, if possible."
Said demon didn't make a move to answer, instead moving to pull his rust red hair up into a ponytail, his bangs refusing to stay put and instead moving to cover his copper-colored eyes. Two fox ears perked from the two sides of his head, one bent downwards slightly, as if he were listening to the ground.
He took a moment to dust off his shoulder, pulling a single red hair from the white dress shirt as if she hadn't just ordered something. After fixing the lap apron over his blakc dress pants, he went back to wiping down the glass, finally meeting her gaze.
"Come on," Kuro grinned, leaning over the counter in order to pluck the glass from his hands, "I don't have all day. My life may just very well end tonight, and I don't plan going into it sober."
Kuro missed the sudden hit of realization on Shax's face, too busy staring at her own reflection in the glass, "…You're of age?"
"No fuck." Kuro murmured, handing Shax back the glass before moving to recline as best as she could on the backless chair, watching absentmindedly as he moved t o mix a drink, "I thought I would be fine this year, wasn't the age limit lifted a few years back!?"
"…The prince this year is… Different." Shax murmured, before sliding her the drink, "The Crow prince, I've heard them call him. He's, well… you'll have to meet him to find out."
Kuro nodded, taking a sip, before sighing, "I don't care who he is. If he gives me as much as a second glance, I'm going to do something drastic."
"Please, don't." Shax's voice could not have sounded anymore dry, almost sarcastic.
"Nope, too late, my master plan has already been set into motion," Kuro grinned as she hungrily eyed the color-layered glass Shax put in front of her, all but salivating as she reached out for it, "I've already ordered a hit on this bird bitch. The moment I make the call, his head's gonna go bye bye."
"Do keep it down," Shax sighed, shaking his head despite the absolute lack of care in his voice, "Despite what you may think, this prince has a rather decent following within the Rift. I'd hate to see you lynched on the streets by the extremists."
"Oh no, whatever shall I do?" Kuro asked, drawing from her inner innocent child, before throwing her head back with borderline maniacal laughter, whipping around to lean on the bartop, almost daring one of the other patrons to lash out at her, "Well? Anyone here wanna challenge me? Take me down a notch?"
She was met with silence from the bar and an exasperated sigh from behind her.
"You're going to get yourself killed like that."
"Oh well," Kuro whipped back around, throwing back the rest of the fruity beverage before slamming the cup down onto the counter, "That's future me's problem."
"Surprisingly enough, that changes nothing." Shax murmured, taking away the cup before moving back to clean the countertop, "At this rate, the capital may get to you before the Rift does."
"They'd have to catch me first."
"That wouldn't be too much of a task for them."
"Asshole." Kuro muttered, taking a moment to almost melt into her chair before looking around, "Hey, where's Abraxas?"
"Still on his 'contract'," Shax murmured, before his eyes flickered up to give Kuro a knowing look, "At least, that is what he last told me."
"I'm amazed you still trust his word." Kuro snickered, greedily eyeing the drink Shax poured, only to whine as he passed it along to another, "This is the same Abraxas that inhales food and breathes lies, right?"
"It is one thing for him to lie to me," Shax murmured, "It is another to lie to me about something that matters. Let him do as he wishes; he's capable of making his own choices, and besides, no one would be able to stop him anyway."
"Yeah," Kuro spat, fighting down the bubbling resentment, "And here I was expecting you to send us out and drag him in. Between you and me, I think I'd be a bit too… lethargic to get much done."
"I wasn't aware that you knew what that word meant."
"I swear, you and Vale are brothers or something, I just know it." She murmured, "Also, would it kill you to make me another?"
"You'd think someone as passive as you would have learned patience at this point."
Before Kuro could retort, the bar door was kicked open, creaking on its rusted hinge as a giant walked in, ducking under the door frame,"Someone's here early. What happened this time, Zagan? Did your ugly mug get turned down again?"
The bald demon shot her a look, with bitter-lemon yellow eyes and sharpened teeth of a similar tinge. He wore his signature brown leather coat over his bare chest, along with jeans made up of the skin of others he's defeated over the years.
At least, that's what he likes to say. As far as Kuro knew, demon skin wasn't supposed to look like denim.
He plopped down into the seat next to Kuro, the previous patron scrambling out of the way just in time. The two glared at each other, an unspoken threat lingering in the air, only to be disbursed by the large demon's laughter, "Like anyone would ever like your rotten face!" His voice was about as loud as the slap on the back he gave her, nearly throwing her over the bartop with the excessive force.
Despite the ache of her spine, Kuro laughed with him, "I'm hoping for it."
"I still think that you should have chosen a mate by now." Shax said, almost to himself. His head was down, almost like he was accidently speaking his thoughts aloud, "You know how dangerous this whole farce of a party really is. Chosen or not, I've heard enough to know that the expectations are high, and the death tolls are higher."
"Yeah, cause I'd make the perfect housewife. No thank you." She reclined against Zagan, throwing one leg over the other in an attempt to get comfortable, "I don't need no male demon! Besides, have you seen the options here in the Rift? At this rate, I'd have a better chance with angels. Literal 'light of God' 'holier than thou' angels."
Before Shax could respond, Zagan let out a boisterous laugh, nearly throwing Kuro off of him with the sound alone, "You make it sound as if we'd let that happen!"
"Oh? What would you do? Take on the entirety of the guard? Call down an airstrike from heaven?" Despite the sarcastic drawl in her voice, she couldn't help but be touched. The Rift was a shit place, without question, but knowing that someone had your back in this hellscape almost made it a comfortable set-up, "Maybe you want to start another war? Those are always fun, great fun."
"I don't see why not!" Zagan laughed loudly, pounding the counter top with a bit too much force, Kuor jumping back as cracks spiderwebbed from Zagan's hands, "Whoops."
"Do you mind?" Shax almost sounded like a disappointed parent, the only thing giving him away being the slight yet violent twitch from his right eye, " Counters are, like everything else around here, very expensive."
"Aww, come on," Kuro took the glass Shax offered her, watching as Shax tossed Zagan a damp rag, "It's not like he can scrub the cracks out. Besides, have you taken a good look at this guy? He could accidentally turn someone into a red stain if he high fives them too hard."
Shax let out a huff of laughter, turning around to pick and move bottles about, "Poor Belial didn't stand a chance."
"Not many manage to survive Zagan's fly swatter technique," Kuro couldn't help but add, pulling her hood from her head before tilting her head back, staring straight up at the decaying stone that made up the ceiling, "May he rest in the most bitter pits of hell, for daring to sneak a slug into Zagan's drink."
"Again with Belial, why do you both keep giving me crap over Belial!?" Zagan shouted, nearly throwing the rag across the counter, "Don't act like what he did was some mundane casual shit! It was disgusting and vile, stupid childish idiot should have known better!"
"And now he's six feet under with dicks drawn on his face." Kuro couldn't help but add, a cheeky smirk on her face as she threw back her drink, "And that's ignoring how you basically paraded his body around before we dumped it."
"The dicks were your idea."
"Not once have I ever said I'm above drawing dicks."
"Regardless, the fact still stands: You're both idiots that need to stop breaking things." Shax finally pushed a glass in front of Zagan, who snatched it up and gulped it down, only to make a face at the cup, "You're getting nothing but lukewarm water until you've paid for the counter, Zagan."
"It's better I fight then she does." Zagan grumbled, "At least I know when to stop."
"Of course, because breaking everything inside is always a good place to 'stop'." Shax countered, no real heat behind his words, despite the cold fire behind his eyes, "She has the decency to take a conflict outside."
"Come on, Zagan's fights don't get that bad." Kuro defended.
"His last altercation alone has almost put me into debt, not to mention more than half of my customers." Shax murmured, before gesturing to the more-or-less empty bar.
"Oh, yeah, cause having an empty place bothers you so much." Kuro murmured jokingly, letting loose a large burp before giggling, "The punishment was hard enough. If I hadn't offered to step in and help, Zagan would still be working it off."
Kuro couldn't help but shiver at the memory: being forced in the back to do dishes, for a whole month. Not much scared her, but the idea of repetitive and boring work that had no end in sight? That was, without a single doubt, her worst nightmare.
"You don't get to complain, last I checked, you had a hand in the destruction and chaos." Shax chided.
"Don't be like that, most of what I did stayed in the back alleys." Kuro couldn't help the malicious grin that spread across her face. As far as she knew, no one had bothered to try and wash off the blood stains.
Zagan gagged at the thought, "How you manage to raise that much hell back there, I have no clue."
"Trade secret. Can't tell ya, cause then I'd have to kill ya.
"Why doesn't she get a slap of the wrist for the mess she makes back there?" Zagan muttered into his cup.
"I don't own the back alley, so whatever happens there is not my problem." Shax murmured, "You, on the other hand, have managed to break three tables, over ten chairs, and this is my fourth counter this month."
"Ouch." Kuro winced, elbowing Zagan, "Good luck covering all of that."
"Fuck you."
"Bite me."
"Maybe I will."
Kuro wrinkled her nose, "Shax, Zagan's being weird!" She said, her voice taking the tone of a whining child.
"You provoked him, I don't know what you expect from me." Regardless of it, Shax then turned to Zagan, "Know that, if Kuro takes you outside, I don't plan to follow and help."
"Good. Then it might be a fair fight."
Kuro almost snorted at that, bumping her elbow against his with as much affectionate animosity she could muster. All he did was grin in return, ruffling her hair as if she were some pet.
"I'm going to kill you, big guy."
"I'd like to see you try."
The three of them took in the comforting silence, a nice buzz running through Kuro's head before Zagan finally cleared his throat, "If you don't mind me asking, Kuro, what is your plan for the Choosing Ceremony?"
Kuro shrugged, "Honestly? I don't know yet. I've never been to or heard much, so I have no idea what to expect. Guess I'm gonna just wing it and see where it takes me?"
"It still amazes me how little you know." Shax murmured, "Tell me, do you do anything besides laze around your apartment?"
"Okay, first off, you can miss me with that NEET shit, I do have a life thank you very much." Her venom was all but misplaced, neither of the other two having any clue as to what a "Neet" was, "And secondly, it isn't my fault I don't know about this Crow prince! I couldn't give a damn about any of them, so why should I give a single shit-"
"How can you, like, not know of the Crow prince!?"
Kuro turned to the new voice, giving the new girl a look over, "…I'm sorry, who are you?"
Kuro sized her up: Short stature, hourglass figure, short blond hair and two mismatched eyes: one a deep red, the other a blank black. Had she kept her mouth shut, she probably would have blended in with the rest of the attractive Rifter crowd; the ones who did their best to imitate those in the capital.
Maybe the tattoo of a snake slithering up her collar bone was a good clue, or the dark red low-cut dress. Regardless, it wasn't hard to guess what kind of demon she was.
The succubus chuckled, "Andras. Not that you low-lives would know who I am. I'm some filthy commoner like you… demons." She spat the word out, as if she were disgusted with the idea of Kuro and herself having some small similarity.
When Kuro didn't give a verbal response (the drink in front of her was more captivating than this girl could ever be), she fixed her gaze on Shax, throwing him a lewd smile as she leaned up against the bar, "These peasants…Could you get me a big girl drink, honey?" She threw in a flirty wink, as if that would do anything for her.
Shax was silent as he handed her whatever he had been mixing, watching as she threw it back before turning back to the cat demon, "Don't act like that, alley cat, you're lucky that I'd bother sticking around here with you casuals."
"Yeah, sure, uhuh." Kuro shrugged, yawning into her hand before returning her reflection's stare. She found her own reflection more entertaining than the succubus trying to push her buttons, noting that her scar from a few weeks back had all but faded.
"Don't just ignore me like that!"
"Look, I'm honestly not in the mood to start a fight, and I know that bar boy over here is going to rip me a new one if we end up throwing down." Kuro didn't bother to fully face the snake demon, rubbing her eyes as another yawn fought its way out of her mouth, "So, unless you've got some seriously interesting dirt on the Crow prince, I'm gonna ask that you make like your legs and split."
She said the last part under her breath, barely audible over the sound of Zagan's wheezing laughter.
"He's only the best thing in hell!" She exclaimed, Kuro jumping back as, ew oh jeez yeah, this bitch was salivating, "I mean, last year's prince was hot, but this guy is gorgeous!"
"Last year? You mean the…" Kuro murmured, not wanting to finish. It had been difficult to avoid news of the viper demon, what with his rather vexing personality and laughable reputation, "The hell are you talking about? Dude's teeth didn't even fit into his mouth. He looked like the saddest, scaliest saber tooth tiger."
Andras pushed her way into Kuro's space, her snake-like pupils glaring daggers into Kuro's, "Watch your mouth, kitty cat."
"You had better watch your own, venom breath." Kuro mumbled, watching the succubus all but stomp out of the bar before looking over her cup, "Shax, hit me."
Shax made a grunt of acknowledgment, trading her glass out for a new one rather than refilling it, "What a refined young lady."
"That's a word, sure." Kuro muttered into her cup.
"…Why the hell do you think that dame was around?" Zagan muttered into his cup, his rowdy laughter replaced with low simmering irritation. Kuro nearly jumped at his low tone, feeling the waves of annoyance rolling from his shoulders.
Not wanting to deal with it, Shax moved from the counter to the back, most likely to avoid whatever shitshow Zagan decided to start.
"Bitch probably had nothing and no one better to do." Kuro said, a light chuckle following the statement, hoping to help calm the large demon's nerves, "Succubus suck ass, but it's not like they're really good for anything else. At least most of them stay in the capital."
Zagan grunted, downing his water like a shot, "Wish the angels had done a better job of culling the bastards, bunch of irritating gnats, the whole lot of them."
Unsure of what else to say, Kuro shrugged, "Could be worse."
"Yeah…" Zagan muttered, before shooting her a small smile, "Like being sent to a ceremony, and being chosen by the prince."
"I don't even know what the guy looks like and I already hate him." Kuro grumbled, "Just mentioning his name gave me more shit than I bargained for. The hell does he even look like? Someone have a picture, so I know who's face to cave in?"
Zagan took a moment to think on it, "I've only seen him once, and even then, it was just a quick glance. All I remember are wine-red eyes."
"He is known to be quite the looker," Shax said as he returned, carrying a box of glasses in with him, "Not that I know exactly what he looks like, but he seems to be perfect."
"Oh, wonderful." Kuro sarcasm was palpable.
"Well, what do you want in the special demon?" Shax asked. If Kuro didn't know any better, she would have assumed Shax was mildly interested.
"For starters, someone who doesn't mind me napping whenever I want, waking up when I want, and being an all-around child." Kuro admitted.
"Thought you hated kids." Zagan teased.
"I don't like kids, doesn't mean I'm not one myself." Kuro shrugged, before shaking her head, "Also, thanks for the back-up there, Shax. I see you favor the glasses over my wellbeing."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Shax almost scoffed, "And, even if I did, I have no doubt that you would have been fine."
"Wow, okay, love ya too."
"I hear that he's a pride demon." Zagan snickered, as if he hadn't heard Shax and Kuro's exchange. "There's quite the ego on this guy."
"No wonder this guy's got so much attention on him, chicks dig a guy with an ego bigger than his head." Kuro cackled darkly, before shooting Shax a wink, "if you know what I'm trying to say."
"...You have no sense of shame, do you?" Shax muttered.
"You know it." Kuro grinned.
A few more silent moments passed on, before Kuro finally rose from her seat, throwing some cash onto the table, "Well, I best be off."
Shax turned around, eyes scanning the two hands ticking away from within the clock, "The ceremony is planned to start in half an hour."
"Yep."
"You don't have a dress."
"Agreed."
"It takes an hour to get from here to the castle."
"Wow, look at you, Shax. So astute, much intellect." Kuro grinned, before walking out the door, bowing, "I'll see you fuckers later."
With one last yawn, she closed the door behind her, leaving the two to themselves.
"That lackadaisical is going to end up dead like that." Shax sighed, "…I worry for her."
"I don't see why," Zagan muttered, tracing the rim of his cup, "You know just as well as I that she can hold her own."
"It's that defiance and inattentive mix that makes me think otherwise." Shax muttered, about to go on, only to shake his head. Zagan, to a point, was right. She was a big girl, she knew what she was doing. As childish as she was, she knew how their world worked and how to make due.
With that final thought, Shax moved to serve a customer who sat in a darker corner of the bar, "Zagan, I will not warn you twice; feet off the counter." He shouted over his shoulder.
"Dammit! To hell with you!"
"…"
"…Oh."
"No, that was a dumb thing to say, and you fully knew that long before you said it."
"Well well well, would you look at that. The Crow looks presentable."
A dark chuckle resonated from within the small, dim room, "If I didn't know any better, I'm sensing a bit of jealousy and resentment. Well, Aranea?"
"Hardly. If anything, I'm surprised by your sophistication act." The first retorted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "With father's favor, I'd assume that you could just coast by on that laughable 'charisma' of yours."
"Last I checked, you should count yourself lucky that you still live here." The second spat, whipping around as wine red bore into frosted gold.
Aranea hissed, crossing his arms over his chest as he sized his brother up. How easy it would be to push that arrogant twit over the railing and into the working servants below, each one scurrying about like a disgusting bug.
Not that his brother was any better, in that regard…
"Hmm? Is there something I can do for you, Aranea?"
"...No. Best thing you can do now is go through with this whole fiasco." Aranea grumbled, begrudgingly backing off from their little staring competition. "What do I care? You'll find a girl, be her mate, and I'll never have to deal with you again."
"Yes, because being shackled to you would be such a reward." The Crow scowled, the dark shadow behind him growing bigger as black feathers fell to the floor, "Not that it will matter; a few more hours, and I will be able to pick a girl of my choosing. You'll have to wait your turn, little spider. If you're lucky, you'll still be here when it is your turn."
With that, the Crow walked away, his large overarching shadow following closely behind, as if it were an entirely other entity of its own. Left behind, Aranea scowled, pushing his glasses up over steely golden eyes.
"Soon, you dirty Crow, soon…"
Amy: Hey, Crim.
Me: Yeh?
Amy: Where do you keep coming up with these guys?
Me: You'll have to explain a bit more.
Amy: *Points to Kuro* Do you even know how many OC's you've made at this point?
Me: Honestly?
Azazel: You're either always around here or slowly forgotten.
Me: Hey, you shush, I'm planning a sequel for you.
Azazel: R-really!?
Me: Yes, haven't we been over this? I'm pretty sure we've been over this.
Lilith: And yet, the people are still waiting on my sequel, not that I'm in any rush.
Kuro: Finally, someone that's not constantly in a hurry.
Erin: God, she can speak!
Kuro: I may be lazy, but yes, even I know how to open my mouth.
Amy: Well that's a new trait in your characters.
Me: Wanted to try something different.
Katrina: Hey, where have I heard that before?
Me: Shut up brainiac. Besides, Kuro is a cat demon. Cat's are lazy.
Miu: I f-for one thinks t-that she'll be a g-great addition!
Azazel: That's what you say about all of them.
Miu: W-we don't h-have many optimistic people here.
Lilith: Finally, something that comes out of your mouth that we can all agree on.
Amy: So, how does it feel to be an OC?
Kuro:...
Amy:...Hello?
Kuro:...
Lilith: Well, for someone so lethargic, she can also be rather rude.
Erin: True and same.
Lilith: Shut it, you.
Kuro:...Zzz...
Amy: Fucker, I'm about to slap some sense into this piece of-
Katrina: You half-minded cretin; she's asleep.
Amy:...Crim...What have you made?
Me: Honestly? I don't know yet.
We'll find out soon enough.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, drop a review if you did, and I'll see you guys next chappy!
Till then, bai bai!