Izumi laid atop her covers that night, her little badge declaring her Aleph held above her as she inspected it. She found herself slightly dissatisfied with it. Obviously she didn't think she deserved an astronomical rank, and it made sense that she would rank lower than most as she was new to the realm but the lowest rank? True she had come in last and that was all they took into account since her familiar summoning ritual was considered a fluke.
She heaved a sigh as her arm flopped down to her side. Dinner would be soon and she wanted to talk to both male demons she cohabitated with. "Lady Izumi." Opera spoke softly as if they were trying to soothingly get her attention. She sprung up in surprise having not heard them come in.
"Opera!"
The cat demon stood by the door waiting. "You did not answer when I knocked. Are you unsettled by something?"
Her automatic response of 'No, I'm fine.' made its way to her tongue but something stopped her from finishing it. Was she always going to say that? Did she have to be fine? Was she even fine? "I…I think so." She said out loud. "I wanted to talk with you about mate things if you are available. After dinner?" She looked at them with very vulnerable eyes after the long day she had. Normally her face was rather impassive but to Opera, in this moment, she looked rather exhausted. It made the demon question if their little mate being very much human was made for a demon's life.
"I will, of course, make whatever time you need of me." Izumi sighed, relieved that at least some questions will be answered. Now, she wondered if she could ask her grandfather for the request she had.
Opera watched as their lady passed them, walking down the hall that would lead her to the dining room. Her gait was less enthusiastic than it normally was when it came to meals and the cat demon could almost call it at trudge. So with a quick slick of their wrist, a hellphone appeared in their hand and a dial tone played as if on speed dial. "I need you to do something for me."
Kalego glared down at the file in front of him as if that would give him some answers to the current conundrum. Yet despite his fierce gaze, the paper merely sat there silent and yielded nothing more than it had previously. He was still in his office at the witching hour after the fiasco of the flying course.
Something seemed off about his mate. She seemed to stumble through school life thus far. The forbidden spell, summoning him, the large number of mates, and the guardian. She was either an attention seeking miscreant, as he originally suspected until today or she was something else entirely.
Admittedly it wasn't too hard to find comparisons between his student and her grandfather. Both had the flair for sowing chaos in their wake and doing the unnatural so it was reasonable of him to assume that she would be the same. But that look on her face today. She looked at him without any emotions. Which is what he thought he wanted. For her to go through her school days without using him as a card in her deck of advantages. His plan had just been to keep her at arms length until graduation and become amicable mates. But no instead she looked at him now with such cold indifference.
No, she didn't look at him at all since the incident with the ring. Actually she made a specific point to avoid him as they were leaving.
His eyes drifted to his hell phone. He could call Opera and see how the girl was doing. They would haggle him but not deny him the information. They might even have a plan that would return him to a neutral standing with her.
He shook his head. Any plan that Opera would come up with would only serve to humiliate him. No, he would just lessen his harshness to the girl and gradually she would come around. After all, to a demon might equal right. With her in his class, he would have plenty of opportunities to remedy the situation.
Izumi did not immediately launch into a rant about the day nor did she talk much at the beginning of dinner. No, she ate mulling over her request. She had never asked anyone for something so big or anything really so she felt a bit bad for what she was about to say. Still, her grandfather had said to ask him for anything and she had agonized over this since she had come home. What's the worst he could do? Say no?
"Grandpa." She called, feeling like she was playing dirty for calling him something other than an old man. That feeling intensified when the male demons squealed and wiggled happily in his seat.
"What is it, my Sweet Izumi? Do you want something from this grandpa? Oh, you sound so sweet when you say grandpa." He happily twittered about.
Well, he did leave himself open to the request. So, she supposed. Here goes nothing. " I don't want to be taught by Professor Kalego anymore." she knew that her words were unexpected if the dead silences and unnatural stillness had anything to say about it. Still she rushed on hoping that if she could just make him see reason then she wouldn't have to fall under that harsh gaze again. "I really like having class with all my mates and I even got another today, but I can't stay under him. He's going to get me killed."
Was she being dramatic? Maybe, but she vividly remembered being kicked off that cliff. Had it not been for that freak happenstance, she would have died today. She would have had her hand cut off today if not for grandpa.
She lowered her head as she pressed on so she was unable to see the harsh expressions on the two males' faces. "I don't trust him after today both as a familiar and a teacher. He kicked me off the cliff…" She was startled by the smashing of fine china and dipped her head lower.
Opera was so much more than livid. Their eyes had a wild tone to them at the thought that his mate and lady had been so close to death today. Yes, this was the demon world and there were so many dangers for a little and frail creature such as herself but those dangers should have never included Kalego. The cat demon had never expected his wayward dog mate to accept her with arms fully open but it would seem that the dog was going to need a reminder on how to act like a proper demon mate.
"This is your request?" The deep voice of the elder demon reverberated through the room as he looked upon his granddaughter who did not even have the confidence to look him in the eye as she asked for his assistance. "Well, if it is, you my granddaughter, I will do what you want. I just need a little time to get everything in order so could you deal with him for one more week?" She snapped her head up looking at him as if she couldn't believe he would do something like that for her. Even if he just moved her to a new class, sure she would be upset but Kalego had it out for her.
"Yes, grandpa." She nodded. "I think I'm going to get ready for bed…Are you still okay to talk with me Opera?" She looked at the cat demon feeling distinctly uncomfortable asking more than she already had but the soft nod soothed her worries that she was asking too much.
"I will be up soon to speak with you, my lady."
She awkwardly dismissed herself to her room but both demons dropped their pleasant faces as she left. Neither felt particularly pleased with the guard dog. "I suppose you will have a talk with him, Opera?"
"Of course." They would have a very constructive talk with the demon tonight.
"Tell him he has a week to change my granddaughter's mind or… I will follow through." Sullivan had a plan in place just for his granddaughter's safety and if Kalego wasn't going to play his part…well he could just be replaced. "Also by tomorrow night, Contact Robin Bars. He has not started classes."
Opera did little more than a slight bow as the elder demon left the room before quickly cleaning the room. Their little mate was in need of their guidance and he, unlike certain other mates, was an excellent mate.
Izumi laid in the bed with an arm over her eyes after she had bathed and gotten dressed in her sleeping clothes. She felt bad for requesting that Kalego be removed as her teacher or herself be removed from that class. She had dealt with much growing up like she had, but for some unfathomable reason to her, she actually cared what the male said and did to her. In some forms she felt as if she were running away or closer to telling on a supervisor to HR.
No, she didn't need to second guess her request. She was in the right to do as she had done. He had not given her a single word of apology.
A knock sounded and she knew that it was Opera at the door. "Come in." She called sitting up. Sure enough it was the redhead demon. They entered and closed the door behind them standing next to it for a moment. "Could you sit with me?" She asked, fiddling with her hands.
The demon did not need to be told twice as they took a seat next to her on the bed. "You had questions of me?"
"Yes, I wanted to know more about mates. Um, one of my mates said something today and it was confusing." She tried to recall exactly what Sabro had said before speaking. "He said that we have two demonesses, and 'What luck.' Do not a lot of demonesses get packs?"
"It's less to do with demonesses not having packs and more to do with the birthrate. As it is now only one in seven demons is a female. They aren't bore as often as males. So ones that have mates are coveted."
"Ones who have mates…do not all demons have mates?" She found that thought very sad indeed. Here she was a human from another realm and she has so many mates while demons in this world might not even have one.
"Indeed. While uncommon, there are some demons who don't have any mates." They patted their soft hearted mate's head. "Most join other packs if they can, some make their own packs but those are likely to implode due to a demon's nature and few devote themselves entirely to their job. However, most of these demons tend to draw the wrong sort of attention to themselves. Acting out or having little thought to their actions."
"I see." She hummed, wondering if she had met any demon's like that. "You've said before that demons have different relationships with their mates right? Well, one of mine has claimed me as a rival and a mate…what does that mean?"
They looked at her for a moment, having to remind themselves she was human and must have had a very different upbringing to themselves. "Well, for demons a mate is never just one thing and it can vary from day to day. Our relationships are not defined by a strict definition of romantic, platonic or rival. Rather some days they will be more rivals than romantic partners and some days they will be lovers. One is never just one thing."
The girl frowned, that was confusing. How was she to know what she was to someone then?
"My advice is just be who you feel like being with each mate. Be inquisitive with me and soft with Young master Asmodeus, and be an adventurous child with your mate Clara. Be the calm and serene woman with Balam. You are all these things and none are wrong." The cat continued to stroke the woman's head lulling her to sleep as she teetered this way and that. "Now, I think you must be a sleepy child." They said mirthfully.
Izumi grabbed the demon's hand and looked up at them with big blue eyes. "If I am to be the sleepy child, would you lay with me until I fall asleep?" She yawned at the end of the sentence and Opera was unsure if she was so sleepy that she did not know what she was saying or if she was purely requesting them to lie but either way the cat slipped off their shoes and held the girl to their chest. She sighed in bliss falling to sleep almost immediately.
Opera did not feel the need to leave as soon as she fell asleep, instead they laid there for a while longer ensuring that she would have a good night sleep and not nightmares. However, if they were going to talk to Kalego tonight they would have to leave soon. So with a slow movement the cat extracted themselves from their mate and tucked her in gently. They would be back before morning. Especially since she had invited them to her bed. Demons by nature were greedy and once given something it was very hard to take it away. A place near one's favored mate? Well, save from her banishment from her side, it would be tantamount to impossible to move the cat from her side now.