Sleep does wonders on one's mind, body and soul. And all three of them do not want to leave the warm cocoon of her blankets. Sleeping in has never been a possibility before. Her body wired to stand on call way before the rising of the sun behind the mountains. But she is dead. So she should sleep like the dead. With a cute curl of her lips she stretches her limbs out above her, moaning loudly as the lazy strain she feels before cuddling back into her cushion.

Ah~ How easily she could fall back asleep to the gentle tunes of jazz music. Wait. Music. She pops one eye open to see the Radio Demon sitting in the chair he had positioned himself in the evening prior. One leg swung over the other as he leans with his elbow on his leg, chin in hand. A cat-like grin on his lips. Waiting for her shriek of utter surprise of seeing him still present.

She turns the tables around without actually meaning to honestly as her body relaxes and she smiles sleepily up at him. "Good morning, Alastor." His smile twitches and she sees his muscles straining to keep the grin in place, the coloring of his neck not going unnoticed either.

Seductive like a siren luring poor sailors to their demise

Cattaleya sits upright and stiffens a yawn. It felt like he had truly blessed her with his presence. He might not realize it but without him there she probably wouldn't have slept for many days to come. Surely she is going to have to find a different way to cope with her fears and nightmares but at least for this night he had effectively chased them away. A funny image of Alastor actually chasing materialized shadows has her giggle in morning haziness.

Alastor, thinking she is giggling at him and his mind telling him it sounded utterly adorable for some reason, straightens up. "G-Goodmorning!" He jumps and exaggeratedly throws open the curtains. "It is a lovely scorching hot day in Hell, as always! Gang turfs are heading towards the south of Pentagram city where a piece of grabbable territory is on the line. Oh what a blood bath that shall be! Ha ha ha!" As he talks the heat in his face intensifies. Luckily, his back is towards the woman so she could not mock him or see his panicked eyes.

Cattaleya raises one eyebrow at his antics. Feels like a broadcast of the morning news. "Alastor?"

He clenches his teeth together as he refuses to turn around yet. "Yes?"

"How about you get yourself a cup of coffee, and if you want, get me a cup of tea, and you relax for a moment so I can properly thank you?"

His shoulders visibly lose a bit of tension as he slowly turns, his throat tightens at the sight. Her white disheveled hair reflects the red light of the morning rays. She seems completely content as her eyes squint kindly in some weird sort of fondness as she looks at him. It would almost put a stop to his already unbeating heart.

He hands her a cup of matcha tea, while he returns to his chair with a cup of black coffee.

She blows some steam away before taking a sip. Perfect as always. "I have slept great. Completely energized. Not a nightmare had plagued me. I am truly grateful for that."

"Really, it was no problem, dear~! I can't have you making mistakes out of pure fatigue now can I." He tries to brush off with a laugh.

She tilts her head to the side, his laugh screeches to a stop as she looks at him with a peculiar scrutinizing look. "Do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Brushing things off or changing the load of what you have done of anything that comes close to kindness?" His eye ticks, her smile turns sly. "But of course that is just a silly assumption given by a woman who does not see the frightening manipulating side of the radio demon at all. Mistaking his manipulations and self serving actions for what she would consider kindness. What a foolish young demon." She mimics his voice in the last sentence but then her own amusement seems to fade. Realizing the truth in her words. "Though… Your manipulations and self serving actions towards me are still kinder than what I have received in life before. That makes me still grateful and thankful to you."

It is silent as she stares into her cup but then Alastor breaks it. He sounds… Pissed. "You are a dangerously honest woman, Cattaleya. Cunning and perspective. But you show it so easily. Showing all your cards right when you get them. That will get you killed or worse, manipulated into a deal that has you writhing and crying on your back. Your wings plucked feather by tiny feather." His eyes are narrowed at her, the warning well received and heard. But-

"You think I do not know that?" Cattaleya grimaces a bit. "You think I do not know exactly what I should or should not keep hidden for me to have the upper hand in whatever situation I am thrown in. Next to fighting, I have been manipulating my way through life since I managed to grasp the concept. Acting my way through. Keeping all I see, all I know, hidden till further use to strike. Or keep it hidden to never be striked down myself. But if I am going to leave her behind, I am going to leave that behind. So I am going to be honest, open. I am going to smile when I feel like it and call out what I see when I want to. Even if doing that in the face of Alastor the Overlord might be compared to dancing with bare feet on blades. And I am going to continue doing so and calling out the actions one would consider kind till you prove me otherwise."

"I did prove you otherwise." He seethes as he suddenly shoots up and grabs her bruised wrist, albeit a bit gentler than last time. He doesn't know why her words bother him so much but they leave a nasty feeling in his gut. Accompanied by the urge to scream at her not to be such a blatant fool.

"This?" She looks at the bruises and then back at him with a laugh. Shaking her head as her eyes tell a million far away stories. "This is nothing. Worse can be done."

His mouth widens as his teeth sharpen, pulling her arm closer towards his mouth. "I could bite you if you want me to prove you wrong." Static sounds now fill the room. His shadows dance on the wall as they grin and wait in anticipation. His eyes never leave hers though. Waiting to see her flinch. To see the hesitation. To see that well hidden fear that she must be feeling deep inside that fortress.

"Go ahead." She says in the calmth before the storm.

Skin breaks. Blood gushes into this mouth. Teeth sinking deep into the skin of her forearm. Not sparing the muscles as he digs in deep. She tastes divine. His eyes close to take a second to revel in the pleasant metallic tingle that fills his mouth. He didn't want to do it. But he had to. He had to make her see what harm she could do to herself. When he locks his eyes with hers again, he has to see her terror. The error. The realization of her mistake.

His jaw slackens. Her eyes are not on him but on the spot where his teeth are still lodged in flesh. Where her blood drops onto the sheets. And she stares. Not with horror. Not with fright. But in curiosity. "I… Have never been bit before… It does sting a little."

Her words have him recoiling back. His smile leaves him for a fleeting unseen moment as she cradles her wounded arm to her without a hint of pain on her features. She looks more upset about the mess it had made than anything else.

The door slams shut.

Trembling legs barely hold Alastor upright as he leans with his back against his door. Fled and hidden in his room. His breathing is heavy as the after taste of her still lingers on his taste buds. He resists the urge to lick his bloody lips. She tasted good. Delicious. It has never felt this wrong. The lack of reaction, lack of anything, a gasp, a tremor, pain written on her face, felt wrong.

Why didn't she react? She can fear. He has seen it. It had been plastered all over her face when she had woken up from her murderous trance. When she had almost stabbed him. She had thrown up. Legs shaking. Tears falling. Chest heaving. Pure fright of what she could have done.

She is not afraid of anything but herself. And that makes him wonder…

What kind of a monster she sees in the mirror to deem him more harmless than herself.

He wants to see it too. Wants to see that monster.

The red on his hand is vibrant in color as he flexes his claw. Indulging himself, he breathes in a whiff of her scent, a shiver raking down his spine.

Yes, he will see that side of her

Cattaleya gingerly walks the hallways, a towel tight around her arm, as she navigates her way towards Charlie's that she wants to admit to the girl what has happened but her bathroom cabinets had been sadly vacant of what she needed. No bandages or anything to be found. So she didn't have much of a choice as it was dripping blood really rapidly. Geez, he might have bitten through a big vein.

She knocks on the door and Charlie swings the door open with a big smile. "Hello! What brings you- Fucking hell!" She shrieks as she sees the blood soaked towel.

"Can I come in?" Cattaleya asks way too calmly for the situation.

She is almost pulled inside as Charlie rushes her to sit in a chair. Vaggie cussing in a foreign language as she now joins the hurries to get stuff to treat her wounds. "What in the fucks name happend." Vaggie hisses as she removes the towel as gently as she could. "Are those bitemarks?!"

They did look worse than they felt. Luckily he didn't actually tear away any skin, which he easily could have done, but only bitten down straight. Still, they looked gruesome and big because of the size of his razor sharp teeth. "Yes, Alastor bit me."

"ALASTOR WHA-" Flying bandages go through the room as Charlie actually stumbles over her feet, falling face flat on the floor in an undignified manner. More cursing from Vaggie as she pushes the towel back to slow the bleeding.

"It doesn't hurt." Cattaleya tries to reassure them but their looks tell her that they do not believe that crap. But it truly doesn't hurt. She stays quiet as they carefully start cleaning and disinfecting the wound, arguing amongst themselves about confronting the Radio Demon. Which will probably lead to nothing. "Really, truely, there is no need to defend me. I am fine. And I suppose he did it out of the intention to teach me a lesson."

"What fucking lesson-" Vaggie asks aggrivated to the max as she ties the bandage. "- would be taught by biting you!"

"That I should be more on guard." When Vaggie is done, Cattaleya moves her arm, testing the strain on it. "I suppose he might be right."

Flabbergasted, Vaggie looks at Charlie with an open mouth as if saying 'would you talk some sense into the woman.'.

Charlie laughs a bit uncomfortably by Cattaleya's aloofness about it all as she sits next to her. "You honestly really should. I mean, look at you." She motions to the arm. "If this is just a warning then who knows what he might do when it is not. I mean, Al has never truly physically attacked any of our residents before so this is a first, which I will be talking to him about. But if he does this out of good intentions, imagine what he will do with bad intentions. And Al is not the only demon out there that might hurt you."

Cattaleya stiffens a sigh. "I am well aware, Charlie." She stands, not up for a preach. "But sometimes I have to remind you that I am not a child. I may be new but I am not a fool. I know the consequences that my actions might bring. And I am willing to take them on. I am thankful for the concern but I do not need the protection." before Charlie can speak up she bows. "I really am thankful for you treating my arm. I'll see you downstairs." And with that she leaves.

For anyone else who asked, Cattaleya says she had fallen during some late night stacking papers and accidentally sliced along the sharp edge of something. She decided to keep it vague enough to not raise more questions but clear enough to not have to go into detail. Demons do heal more rapidly she has heard so the wound should be gone from her body within a week or so she presumes. If Alastor had an opinion about her weak excuse, he does not let it be heard. For as far as she can tell he is perfectly satisfied with not having blades pointed at him. His absence however from his own office throughout the day is noticeable though. Normally, even if busy, he would walk in a few times. But not today. She doesn't ponder on it though as she is now alphabetically ordering all the contracts that start with G. Filing has turned out to be quite the work thanks to the enormous amounts of deals made. And she is being very precise when it came to the task.

At dinner, even if the plates were steaming and ready to be devoured on the table, he is absent as well. No one questions it though, brushing it off with him needing to be somewhere whatever. And when she makes eye contact with Charlie she shakes her head and shrugs, telling her afterwards that she didn't know where he was either and that she hadn't talked to him yet.

So she had not expected, that later as night begins to fall and everyone turns in for sleep, to have said demon knocking on her door. Cattaleya wasn't expecting an apology or anything of the sort. But she did not think he would just silently walk in, settle down in the chair and flick open a book. Exactly like last night.

When she leaves the room, he does not speak up either. And for a fleeting minute she wonders if he would be gone, thinking her sudden departure is a signal for him to dismiss himself, but when she returns not long after, he is still there. Not moved an inch. Not showing a sign of anything, he keeps his tight smile on his face and eyes on the pages.

The first moment he looks up, his eyes widened in wonder, is when she holds out the steaming cup of coffee she had gone to fetch for him. Alastor hesitates for a moment but when he sees her genuinely smiling at him, not a linger of animosity or hurt, his smile turns genuine as well, with hidden traces of relief, as he accepts the peace offering. "Thank you, dear."

"Good night, Alastor." Is all she says before she crawls into bed and lets sleep carry her away.

Steady your heartbeat. Calm your mind. Only then can you survive. Don't try to see as there will be only darkness ahead. Don't try to feel as the body should be numb. And don't breathe. Don't think about breathing. Not in need. Not in pain. Not in shock. Ignore the fact that your hands are tied. Don't think about how longer your head will be held down. Unable to move. It'll be over soon. You'll breathe soon.

After a few hours of looking at her, Alastor decided to not be a total creep and actually focus on his book instead. He is actually deep into a good chapter when he notices Cattaleya starting to stir. Not alarming at first but then her face slowly settles more and more into discomfort. Her chest not moving up and down anymore. He stands and leans his ear down. She is not breathing.

If you breathe, you die, Cattaleya. The ice cold waters will fill your lungs and then you will die. Then they will pick you up, shock your heart for it to get moving again, give you a second to cough the water out before pushing you back in. It'll be less time if you don't breathe now. Hold on. It'll be over soon. Don't breathe. Don't you dare breathe. Or else you'll have to do it all over again. Don't breathe.

Worry suddenly grips him as she grits her teeth. Keeping her mouth tight shut as her struggling to some invisible force gets worse. Fists tighten in the sheets as her body writhes in fight. Alastor's senses are on high alert, ready to claw and tear whatever it is that is attacking her but he finds none. Sees nothing. Feels nothing sinister around.

Almost there. Just a tad bit longer. And the longer turns to eternity. And then comes the pain. Then comes the whip. To torment me more. To challenge me more. To ready me more. Hit after hit. I keep it in. I don't cave. Just a little longer. Just a few more hits. And then it burns. I feel the skin of my back melt. I scream and I breathe. I choke. I failed.

Her mouth gapes open as her face contorts in pain and her back arches off of the bed. Screaming. Choking for air. But she is still not breathing. She grabs her own neck, her nails accidently drawing blood. Alastor is shocked into movement as he kneels down on the bed next to her and frantically tries to pry the hand away from her neck but she is keeping an iron grip on it. He actually grabs her face with his other hand and looks into her throat but there isn't anything physical she is choking on.

I fade away. My body slackens. My mind done resisting. Far away, I feel hands pull me out of the waters. Cold stone soothes my bloody back as darkness takes me. They won't let it take me. They never do. I want to beg them to let me go.

Sounds of electricity charging.

His shadows skitter and move around desperately, finding nothing still. There has to be something. Anything harming her. He sees her body slacken slowly. Losing fight. Losing life.

I just want to go

Alastor grips his hair in panic. Not knowing what to do. Get Charlie. But what can she do. If he can't help her, who can. He needs to help her. But how. Fucking how. She is not breathing. Without a reason. She is dying.

Cold metal is pressed against the skin of my chest

Static fills the air as he grabs her shoulders and shake her violently. But nothing. Limp. She is limp. He has to do something. He is helpless. Powerless.

I just want to let go

Useless. His grip tightens.

I welcome the blackness that surrounds me.

He claws at his own hair as his hands cover his face. His grin breaks out wide in pure manic panic.

Electricity runs through me-

A static screech fills the air.

- My heart shocks.

In a final desperate move he slams his fist on her chest.

My lungs breathe.

Her eyes fly open as a gasp that erupts from her fills the room and her lungs. She shoots upright, eyes staring at the blankets as her body tries to regain life in hitching breaths. Her throat hurts and she runs her hand lightly over what feels like abused skin. What has happe-

That is when her eyes fall on Alastor, sitting on his knees next to her on the bed. His claws are gripping his knees, drawing blood through his pants. He is breathing heavily as well as he stares at her with frantic big eyes and a twitching grin. Dear ancestors he looks… Scared.

"What happened?" She asks softly, as if being any louder would spook him. He looks to the side, a range of emotions flitting through his eyes. Uncertainty mostly. Though it is clear he is trying to for some reason keep himself steady and calm. Miserably failing to do so. "Alastor." She crawls a bit closer and lays her hand on his. This seems to trigger him out of stupor, grabbing her wrist and pulling aggressively. For a second she thinks he might harm her again, till his arms clasp around her in a tight hold. His aggressiveness actually desperation. His face buries in the crook of her neck. She feels him shaking. Had she scared him that badly? She wraps her own arms around him, understanding he needs this comfort. Her own body relaxes as well, needing it too. For some reason, her hand moves up to his head and starts stroking his hair, massaging his scalp. His sigh against her skin gives her a shiver.

"I don't know what happened." The radio filter of his voice practically gone. "You weren't breathing."

Oh. Oh.

She hadn't been breathing. He wasn't scared of her. He had been scared for her. She had thought she had just gone through some attacking episode like last time. Images of her nightmare become clearer. And she understands what happened. Her body listened. Even if it had been a dream. She had been ordered not to breathe. So she hadn't. She had stopped breathing.

"You were actually dying." The stress of the mystery he couldn't solve deep in his voice.

Cattaleya grimaces. Should she… She takes a deep breath before she gently moves his head off of her shoulder. He looks normal again. Still stressed as his smile is tight but calmed down at least. "To become an assassin, you have to be trained. My training has been … Harsh." She decides on, not knowing what other word might come close to the load without going into further detail. "All orders to be obeyed to be shaped into something unbreakable. To become unbreakable, you have to be utterly destroyed first. When you are being ordered not to breathe, you simply don't or feel the consequences for the disobedience." The way his eyes change as it clicks makes her divert her face to the side to avoid looking at him. "I just had a nightmare. A memory. It's strange though a nightmare can…" Her hand automatically reaches up to her throat. Further words do not form because how can she explain. The fear of the past having such a gripping effect on her. Way beyond her own control.

"It appears that I do not only have to protect others from your lethal antics but I have to protect you from yourself as well." She blinks at him, his grin and light tone trying to hide the wobble at the corner of his mouth. "You have just made my job twice as difficult, my dear. I would almost wish to discuss the terms of our agreement again seeing as the task given to me is far more difficult to achieve than yours."

"You can decide to nullify the agreement-" His grin drops a bit, this was not what he- "but one would think that the most powerful Overlord, the Radion Demon, would be up for the task." Slowly and hesitantly, a somewhat teasing grin crawls up Cattaleya's lips. "I suppose I was mistaken?"

This forces a short laugh out of him, bubbles of nerves leaving him. "Of course I am up for this task! I would hate to disappoint the high expectations you have of me." He takes her hand and places a soft kiss on her hand. Neither speak more about the anxiety in both their chests.

Some heavy stuff for this chapter! Alastor taking his first taste and accidently causing a trauma trigger. MOre of her past is slowly unfolding. I promise next chapter will be lighter! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thoughts about this story, nice words and feedback always welcome :)