"It's the friends you can call up at 4 A.M. that matter."

- Marlene Dietrech

Of course Raven didn't take Kresk's advice seriously at first. Why should she? The old demon lied as easily as he breathed (of course several centuries of smoking cigars do horrors to a person's lungs, and Kresk smoked like a chimney), if he breathed at all. To actually believe that he was willing to call a truce just didn't seem in his nature. Still, at the very least, this might mean the tanar would leave her alone now. She just didn't trust him. Demons of any shape or size made her uncomfortable. It wasn't an actual fear of them, it was a fear of herself. It took all she had to supress her inner being, and she didn't need anything to motivate it. Raven had made up her mind; she had enough monsters to deal with as it was, and she didn't need an extra one bothering her. At least that's what she said to herself at first. After a while, she grew lonely again. If lonliness could be made a friend, everyone would want it simply for the fact that is always there with you, even when companions and merriment are everywhere. Such it was with Raven. No matter how much her friends comforted her, she felt alone. It was as Kresk said; she was an outcast, no matter what.

She was a lone bird on a perch, as Kresk had told her. Now it was time to go chirp to the other perch. One day, merely because there was no one else to talk to and it seemed like a good idea at the time, she visited the Fire Demon. Raven found the door easily enough, knocked, and Kresk replied with a jolly and surprised greeting. Kresk knew Raven didn't trust him. And she had every right in the world to. Demons see nothing odd in paranoia, it's one of the cornerstones of their lives. To not be paranoid about someone is just considered weak in the Abyss; you never know who's going to kill you and when. But while Raven suspected Kresk of merely performing the role of 'friend' in the tragedy that was life, Kresk did not suspect her of anything at all. Kresk trusted Raven, merely out of the fact that he knew that she had nothing to gain from him, and that even if she did, she probably wouldn't get it without a good fight first.

No, Kresk's concern for Raven was more out of pity than fear. She worried him, for in her he saw a bit of himself, back when he was a human wandering the spheres and worlds of the multiverse. So he was determined to accept the young mage, and be a friend in any way he could. He could tell this would take work though. Even as she walked through the hall and past the nalfeshnee to the main chamber, it was apparent she was tense, more than usual any way. Than the two beings chatted in a way that could only be called small talk by the standards of the dark and morose. Raven was merely doing this out of boredom; Kresk perceived this as her attempt at being a friend. After a while Raven left, past Janys and the pit in the main chamber, hoping that now it was assured the demon would stay out of her hair.

Of course what Raven failed to realize was the simple truth in befriending a demon. As mentioned earlier, demons are paranoid, viscious, psychotic, and overall just not nice. As such, they aren't what you would call the 'friendly' type. Sociable, yes, but not friendly, especially with what they consider the "lesser species" (anything that isn't a demon). As such, demons dwell in their own emotional shells to protect them from their peers in the Abyss and generally everywhere else. But when, for any reason, that shell is breached, by either the demon itself or another person, than the subject of that breach is henceforth a member in a binding emotional contract of alleigiance with the fiend. In other words, when a demon decides to befriend somebody, with or without the person's consent, they stick like shells on a rock. After that, nothing in the Seven Heavens or Nine Hells can make a demon turn on that friend except the demon's own will. And so it was with Raven, who, without even knowing it or actually wanting to, had bound Kresk to her.

It shouldn't have come as any surprise then when one morning Raven stepped in for breakfast to find Kresk sitting on the counter. Everyone else seemed rather oblivious to his presence. Beast Boy lazily hung over a bowl of oatmeal, only half-conscious enough to know there was food. Starfire, in that disturbingly unusual way that came naturally, zipped around the room as if the sun that rose was her breath of life. Robin, merely concentrated on his food, but it was obvious he was tired, no doubt from an all-night case report on some criminal. Cyborg, somewhere between the realm of sleep and waking was cooking an assortment of meats. And there, on the counter, perched like a gargoyle on august Notre Dame, sat Kresk. Nobody saw him, or heard him, or even felt his presence which followed him constantly like a pet. He was invisible to everyone, everyone except Raven.

As she watched, Kresk observed her friends like a cat looks at mice in its path. He sat on the edge of the counter, positioned right behind the chair at the end of the table. Cyborg sat down with his breakfast. He inhaled the scent of meat like it was the stuff of existence, then dug in like a starving lion. Kresk leaned a little closer, still unknown and unseen. He cracked a maliscious grin, then opened his vast mouth. All his jagged and crooked teeth diplayed, he opened his mouth like a snake. He leaned forward, so that his maw could chomp off Cyborg's head like a shark bites a seal. He leaned a little closer, and prepared to bite.

Raven panicked. If she attacked, she might hurt Cyborg, and reveal Kresk. If she didn't do anything though, the team would be short one automaton. She looked for something to do. Then, she noticed it. There was a wishing sound, and it was coming from Kresk's direction. Near him, emerging from under his robe, was a forked tail. Oh, this would be good. She concentrated, and an ever so small ethereal black hand formed nearby. It grabbed Kresk's tail, and pulled hard. Kresk let out a cat-like yeowl and was dragged back to the hallway where Raven was hiding.

He stood up still sore from his humiliation. He glared at Raven with an annoyed, disgraced look. "Anthraxus in Hades, what was that for?" Raven was a little shocked, but managed to reply "You were about to bite my friend's head off! Do you even know what you were doing? Do you even-"

Kresk interuppted the miffed rantings of Raven. "Ah, don't get your cloak in a knot. I'm incorporeal, see?" Kresk moved his hand towards Raven's head, and then through her head. Raven only felt a chill where Kresk's arm passed through. He withdrew his arm from her head. "See, nobody can feel me, see me, or hear me, except you."

"Why is that?" Raven asked. "I make myself known to those who are worthy of my presence. You are very lucky, you realize." Kresk began to chuckle, "Masqued Lord, you thought I would make my entrance with a snack? That's like saying a thunderstorm shouldn't come with lightning. No, when I want to be known to Half-A-Man, I'll-"

"What?", Raven asked with a puzzled expression. Kresk suddenly realized he owed Raven an explanation. Kresk pressed onward, "Oh right, yes, uh, the staff and I have taken the liberty of applying some names to your roomates. Over there-" he pointed to Cyborg, "- is Half-A-Man since he is, quite obviously, half a man. And the one you call 'Robin', we refer to him as the Boy Blunder, since quite obviously he has to many stains on his record as a leader to be anything else. And little miss sunshine over there-", he pointed to Starfire, "-we refer to as Bimbo Fantastic. We all hate her. She's just so crazitedly happy all the time. Disgusting. And that, thing, at the end,-" he pointed to Beast Boy, "-we didn't think was worthy of a title, so we just call him Stupid. It seems fitting."

Raven almost laughed. A smile broke out on her face for a second. Kresk remarked cheerfully, "That's the first time I've seen you smile. You need to do it more often.

Someone as young and alive as you shouldn't spend all her time reading old dusty books and wearing that dower face." Raven then realized something. "Wait, you and the staff have been watching us?"

"Oh, yeah. Constantly. You humans lead such fascinating lives, and the world has changed so much since we last had contact with it. It's become so much more delisciously...corrupt. We love this new world. Chaos and evil spread like wildfire, and we get the best of it. For instance, take this 'internet' of yours. Back in my day, if you wanted illegal dealings of any nature, you had to do it that old-fashioned way of travelling and hiding in shadows. But with this 'internet', a few clicks of a button I can sell gods-know-what to gods-know-who anytime, anywhere. Brilliant!" Raven was still somewhere between wonder and shock, "Wait a second. If I can see you, how come I didn't notice you walking around earlier?"

"I told you. I only make myself known when I wish it. I can pass through these halls as silent as an unholy church mouse."

"How can you even get into my home?"

"It's basic paranormal etiquette, my naieve girl. Mi casa, su casa. You allowed me to enter your home, and I allowed you to enter mine. Ergo, I can come and go as I choose. If you don't want demons in your home, don't invite them in. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to leave before the morning arguments begin. Your friends bickering can be tracked to a schedule." Raven called out as Kresk walked away, "Wait! What do you mean by 'the staff'? I mean, I've seen you, and Janys, and that pig-demon-"

"His name is Bormulk."

"Right, whatever. But other than them I havn't seen anybody else. And Bor-whatever is too big to go around unnoticed, invisible or not, and Janys never leaves her bowl. Who else is there?"

"Well, for starts there's my familiar, the quasit Nickis. He's usually wandering through the vents of this place looking for gossip. If you ever see something that looks like a hairless green spider-monkey with wings, horns, and a foul mouth, that's probably him. Then there's the dretches. They're short and ugly, look something like a mix between a chimp, a mule, and a lizard. I've got dozens of 'em, so if one gives you lip, kill it to make it an example to the others. And then there are the succubi sisters. They ought to be floating around here somewhere."

"What do they look like. I've heard of succubi before, but never actually seen one."

"Oh, you can't miss 'em. You really can't." Kresk said this with a satisfied and content look. "They're gorgeous little creatures. Busty, lusty, and oh-so deadly. A single kiss can kill. I've heard stories where they suck souls right out of a man's mouth. Not a bad way to die, if you ask me. They're my couriers, and they love their job. They get paid handsomely, get to see the Lower Planes, meet up with demonic nobility and blow off their money in Sigil the rest of the time."

"You still havn't gotten to what they look like."

"Look for two, very attractive young women, with a few tell-tale marks of their heirtage. Wings, horns, tail, yellow or red eyes, the works. They're where I get most of my gossip from. Those are just a few. I have a bunch more flittering around here for me. Keep your eyes open, you might learn something. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting in Thanatos with Orcus, and he gets grumpy when anybody is late."

Kresk began to walk away, only to interuppted once again. Raven asked to Fire Demon, his back still facing her, "Do you happen to know anything about a girl named Tera?" Kresk angrily and slowly turned around. "You mean Blonde Judas. Yeah, I know about her. She nearly killed me."

"What?"

"When you and your little buddies did a disappearing act for a while and she turned stag and ran the city with that Slade fellow, she and I had a little fight. Oh, she was clever. She beat me by mixing holy dirt with water to form a kind of mud. When that was said and done she dropped that on me. It took months for me to grow back most of my skin. And even the other three Arcanists couldn't beat her. Bert didn't want to fight her. But we had to. I wanted to, but still. If she kept misusing her power, she could have shifted the elemental balance and killed everyone. It was neutralize her or gain control of her. But she's dead now! She's a statue, and that's all that matters! I did not win but neither did she, so it was a victory in my eyes. Still, if her slumber should ever be reversed, I would kill her on sight. But I doubt that will happen." His voice began to rise in fervor and tone. "She is a traitor, and all traitors go to Nessus. There she will rot in Malsheem and I can take comfort in knowing that she is the slave of Asm-"

Kresk suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He covered his mouth, and looked about in fear. Raven asked, "Asm-who? What are you talking about?" Kresk stared at her fearfully, and whispered, "I cannot speak his name. If I do, he may hear me. And if he hears me, he may turn his eye upon me. I do not want to draw his attention. Those who do may suffer a fate worse than death. He is an old terrible thing, this being. Even the King of Demons, Demogorgon, does not idly tarry around him. I bid you farewell child. Forget what you just heard, lest you find truths too dark for man. I will return in my own time, probably when you need a friend the most."

At that, Kresk slunk into the shadows, still paranoid at the unnamed evil. Raven turned around. The rest of the world remained unchanged, and yet now she would never view it the same. There were wheels within wheels spinning, and it appeared she had just become one.