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 Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:15 pm
Noctis was sleepy. If it hadn't been for the necessary living items that they needed, you could be sure the man would have been holed in his room all day. AFterall, if most of his night hours were taken as a bartender, it was only fair he chose what to do with his day hours. Unfortunately, if that was how life went, the man would be so completely absorbed and forget all human things such as eating, bathing and more. Fortunately, he was fully bathed today and appropriate to go out.
"It's fine to leave yourself starving. Just don't leave me with it." Daichi remarked, spotting a bakery store. Convenient-- the demon could actually get some subsidence into Noctis's stomach while there. "You can't starve. You're feeding off my energy." Noctis grumbled, crossing his arms. It was a valid argument in Noctis's opinion, the inventor shaking his head and frowning deeply. It was strange to see a grown man dragged to the store by a lankier and smaller figure but it was happening.
Daichi shook his head, sending Noctis an exasperated glance."I feed off your healthy energy. Not watered down bland life essence." Daichi saw fit to argue, pushing the inventor forward into the bkaery store with a shove and a kick. It seemed Daichi's personality.. was getting a bit stronger these days? Noctis was thinking, his hopes for assertiveness in Daichi hadn't been the best choice.
Nope. Not at all.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:45 pm
It had been a while since a trip to the bakery had been made.
Aurore found herself facing a full shelf of freshly baked breads and cakes, torn on what to take home with her. Athanase, securely nestled into the bag at her side, wasn't the biggest fan of the smell of pastries and wasn't too content being here. Though some of the more interesting items, such as lemon cake, had that delightfully tangy scent that he enjoyed so much, it was almost completely drowned out by the ever-so-sweet smells of sugary breads.
Though he didn't particularly enjoy this kind of outing, he hadn't openly disapprove or fought his human on coming out. He did like leaving the house, so a few minutes of this wouldn't be too bad a thing, he figured.
The young woman, on the other hand, always enjoyed spending time in the bakery; the smells were wonderful and it was always a delight to see the baker's creativity with their beautifully designed cakes and pies. Aurore hadn't the slightest clue that her new companion didn't approve of any of this, given that he hadn't fought or complained.
The potential of leaving any time soon was little.
This was one of the few places that Aurore was comfortable with leaving her mask off. She had been close friends with the bakery owners for some time, and they knew the bare minimum of her predicament, neither were they bothered by her stitches. She was free to leave her face out in the open and breath in the wonderful aromas of the building.
A heavy push from her bag and a small chuckle from deep inside her subconscious pulled her from her moment's delight. It seemed that both Athanase and Chiet had felt something interesting, though honestly she was hoping for a nice, undisturbed day out. The door's chime rung, and her first reaction was to cover her mouth in some way as she turned to see the store's new customers.
Two men; the larger being carried by the smaller. How... odd.
Athanase, pushing harder on the bag, peaked his head out from the top; his smile slowly growing as he stared at the two. "Hehe..."
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 2:13 pm
Daichi sniffed them out first. Much like the contractor in the bar, a fellow denizen of his world had a rather.. distinct scent. He paused when he walked into the building, looking around. There appeared to be only one other customer for now, with a bag.
Meanwhile, Noctis was grumbling and staring at the assorted pastries. He had a pair of silver tongs to grab pastries with. He knew that Daichi liked bland flavors over the heavily flavored bread, the inventor simply taking edible pieces at random. Distracted by his contractor's lack of care for his nutrients, Daichi was forced to abruptly end Noctis's useless endeavors.
They were both picking out pastries when they passed Aurore, looking up to see the next aisle filled with pastries. Like everyone else, it didn't fail to capture their attention. Daichi stared upwards, blinking.
Noctis stared forward, his fingers on his chin in a thoughtful gesture.
"I thought Halloween was over. Don't tell me I've got my months mixed up again, do I?" Noctis turned to address Daichi. His sense of time could be off but not by.. that much, right?
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:24 pm
It was no surprise, really. Aurore knew she looked rather odd with the mask, but she would have looked more-so had she left it off. She attempted a weak smile through it, her eyebrows knit up in slight embarrassment and frustration. Clutching her bag tighter, which was nearly wriggling out of control as Athanase became more restless, she waved her free hand over her face; her excuse was that she was ill.
Hopefully the two would press no further.
Hopefully she would be able to fix this problem soon...
Athanase, and now both he and Chiet, were growing more and more restless as Daichi stood beside Aurore. The woman hadn't made the connection, yet, but the demons could definitely smell one of their brethren. The Imp, able to move around freely (unlike Chiet), had wriggled himself free of the bag and was now waddling his way toward the man and his contracted demon.
Aurore nearly tripped over her heals trying to catch Athanase, but to no avail. He had already escaped and made himself known.
Oh, boy...
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:35 pm
"Oh. She's ill. Gotcha." It would have ended there, as the female might have liked.. with the exception of one tiny little mix-up in her plan. Something yellow on the ground caught a corner of Noctis's eye, assuming to be to be a pastry fallen onto the ground.
But Daichi knew better.
He knelt low, picking up the waddling yellow imp. A bewildered expression decorated his features while sleepiness took over Noctis's. He was already at the counter, his packages in hand when Daichi picked up the imp.
Daichi tipped his head to the side, glancing quickly at Aurore behind the imp. Then he directed his gaze back onto the imp, a smile smile curving his features. "So this must be your contractor. Curious. Mine's isn't much, as you can see." He lifted the imp to take a look at the inventor, yawning and lifting a hand to fix his disrupted glasses. But what Noctis saw through his fogged up glasses was definitely --
Was that an imp?
With fascinated eyes and an extraordinary speed, Noctis was at Daichi's side, coal-black eyes widening with a strangely shimmering light. "Don't tell me.. with that strange shape.. expression .. is it?" He adjusted his glasses, his gaze nearly unbelieving. Running into one at the bakery .. This town never ceased to surprise.
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:49 pm
As the formerly lethargic man became excited over her imp, Aurore found no point in hiding anymore. It was no wonder Athanase and Chiet had become excited, and it also explained the boy's ease in carrying his contractor. Calming, the woman removed her mask and placed it in her pocket, pulling out her notepad in replacement.
"He is here to help me with my problem, and his name is Athanase. He is not my only demon."
Even at the mention of demons, regardless of whether it was written or said aloud, didn't make the woman flinch or wince. She was far too used to it at this point.
Within seconds, she had written more on her notebook. "What is your name? I am Aurore." Her facade of being ill was now gone; a warm smile, though obviously restricted, had spread in its place.
Athanase was beside himself at this point, greatly enjoying being picked up and all the attention. He didn't particularly care for the human that was fawning over him, but it was attention all the same.
Though he did like the fact that there was a demon, aside from Chiet, in their presence.
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:31 am
.. Not her only one? Noctis stared at the girl's features with fascination, his mind immediately turning wheels with a mountain of unanswered questions that he would have barraged the female with, if not for the demon who knew his methods all too well. Daichi cut in before the inventor could, his arms holding the imp.
"I'm Daichi. This is my human contractor, Noctis. I suppose, we forced you to let the dog out of the bag early---"
"Cat."
"You and your idiots--"
"Idioms."
Their conversation wasn't friendly nor hostile, simply without bias. Noctis looked towards the door that faced the street, slowly populating within the early hours of the day. His thumb pointed outside, his face tipped towards Aurore. "Perhaps you'd like to take this conversation to a more private area? It's not exactly parlor conversation. Besides.." He rubbed his stomach as it growled, looking sheepishly towards Aurore. He took a step towards Aurore, a wide grin spreading over his expression. "I'm also incredibly interested in your condition----"
He was cut off by a sharp punch to his abdomen, knees buckling a bit from the sudden pain inflicted upon him.
"Give her some room to speak."
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:46 pm
The sudden act of violence surprised Aurore, he nearly lurched forward to help the man up. She was never the biggest fan of violence, especially when uncalled for. Though, the man did step rather close; nearly into her personal boundaries.
Quickly, as she noticed the people coming in, herself, she wrote something onto her notebook and handed it to Noctis before pulling her mask back across her face.
"Come to my place, I can make you something to eat."
Aurore, due to her condition, could only eat in a specific way, but she loved making food for others. It was a great passion of hers, and she always liked it when others enjoyed her cooking. Maybe one day soon, with the help of Athanase, she would be able to partake in her own treats, but this day would have to wait.
Motioning to her two new companions, Aurore placed Athanase back into the bag. His lack of caring made it easy to conceal.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:24 pm
"Let's. It'll be .. more.. quiet? safe? Or would the word be 'privacy?' " Daichi said uncertainly, still confused by the English language that he had been forced to adapt to.The two males walked easily by Aurore, sometimes lagging behind her or sometimes walking to the side.
Ordinarily, this might be a time for conversation.. but considering her way of conversing, it'd only be a pain to force the girl to walk and write.
She wasn't stuck with the best of company.. but they had one crucial aspect in common, hence the mutual affiliation. Besides, they hadn't screamed when they saw her. One demon, unfazed by such features and the other, an inventor fascinated with the inner workings of the process. Even if the unholy b*****d of a priest hadn't asked for information, Noctis would have gathered it on his own.
It was just unfortunate how he had to share it with that man. His mind recalled his features and memories of his long-ago friend who searched for that figure. What happened to Jack.. Although more curious than he'd like to admit, he probably wouldn't be seeing Jack for awhile.
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:09 pm
---
Luckily, it wasn't a far trek between the pastry shop and her apartment and they were there within minutes. The apartment complex, despite looking quite huge and menacing, was actually quite small when it came to the number of rooms. Probably having no more than twenty or so actual apartments, the living spaces were quite vast.
Opening the door and allowing the two extra companions into the room, Aurore gently placed her bag on the ground, allowing Athanase to wriggle his way out and promptly make his way to the fridge. The woman couldn't help but smile. Athanase was, of course, looking for the lemons bought the day before.
Leading them into the large, den-like area of the apartment, she motioned her hand toward the large, leather sofa in the middle. As she waited for them to take their seats, she began scribbling down in her notebook; a question for the two.
"What would you like to eat? I can make just about anything."
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 12:39 pm
The two sat, rather awkwardly in the new setting, each male situated on opposite ends of the couch. Noctis answered first, his hand lifting to adjust the black-rimmed glasses on his nose.
"Anything's fine. Whatever's convenient for you.." Noctis's attention trailed off, tipping his head to the side to watch the yellow imp traverse across the ground to the fridge. Noctis was mildly perturbed, realizing the imp's closely related appearance to .. Well, Daichi came in a teardrop form. It would serve that there.. were.. other forms too. His body and gaze followed Atanase's actions, perhaps a little too closely, when the inventor found himself face flat on the ground with a loud crash of limbs and books from Noctis's bag.
As usual, these events were normal to Daichi's daily life as he sat there on one end of the couch, one black eyebrow raised towards his contractor, Noctis. It said: Really?
He wished Noctis just had a little-- a little more decorum in the presence of others. Or was the word, "Decorate?" He couldn't remember-- all these english words were utterly confusing.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:25 pm
Something simple, then. Surely they were both hungry, Aurore included (though her nourishment was a bit... different), and a large meal would take too long. Maybe some planked salmon or perhaps some kind of hearty sandwich.
Just as she had turned to walk to the kitchen, Noctis's fall caused her to spin around in shock; the sudden crashing had scared her and she was worried about her guest's wellbeing. Kneeling down, she gently placed a hand over the man's arm, her other offering him support. A look of worry covered her face; eyes wide, eyebrows furrowed and her mouth contorted into as comfortable a frown as she could manage.
Athanase, by this point, had already made his way back into the den and onto the couch next to Daichi, a large bottle of lemon juice in his possession. His eyes narrowed at the scene, but the smile and over-all jolly expression stayed the same as he nursed the strangely shaped bottle.
Once Noctis was helped back comfortably onto the couch, Aurore stood again and headed back to the kitchen, straightening her dress as she walked. Hopefully they liked salmon!
---
Thirty minutes to an hour had passed before the woman had entered the room again; the fresh smell of cooked salmon wafting into the room. It almost had the aroma of what would be cooked in a fancy restaurant!
Setting two plates onto the coffee table in front of the man and his demon companion, Aurore placed a large plate full of delicious strips of salmon and some greens between the two before walking out once more, only to return with a large stand with a bag full of strange liquid...
With as warm a smile as she could muster, Aurore gave them the go ahead to begin their meal.
She, on the other hand, had pulled the thin tub from the IV to her arm, glancing away as she forced it in and quickly wiping away what blood had oozed out away before looking back. She wasn't particularly squeamish, but... the sight of human blood, even her own, caused her to hunger. Control was hard when she hungered, often resulting in the stitches on her mouth to get pulled painfully.
Luckily, she had become better at inserting the needle without looking. The Wendigo inside of her chuckled against the back of her mind.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:09 am
During the passing hour, Noctis had tried to prod answers out of the strangely shaped imp to no avail-- Daichi hadn't been the most talkative imp either. Nor was he a talkative demon-- perhaps a little more typically of his kind. Both males, their stomachs were starting to growl, (not) to their embarrassment as they leaned back onto the couch, legs spread apart, sinking their heads into the soft cushions.
Daichi and Athanase were busy enjoying their separate meals (Daichi liked salmon. It was soft like tofu! C:~) but Noctis's gaze remained on Aurore, in fascination. "What did you mean, in the bakery earlier? He's not your 'only demon?' I wasn't aware there were others to speak of?" Noctis paused in his meal to address the other. There was no judgment nor any malicious curiosity-- just the pure neutral fascination of science. How did the demon live? How did it talk to her? How did it force her into the state she lived in? How did it look like? What ways did it work? It was endless-- there would never be enough answers to sate Noctis's curiosity.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:58 am
The man's lingering gaze would have put a blush on Aurore's face if she weren't already used to stares. She had only had Athanase for a few days, but "Chiet" had been her not-so-great companion for several years at this point, meaning that her stitches had been there almost as long. Stares were a common thing.
Once she was comfortably seated was when he began to question. Not exactly surprised, given how fascinated by Atha this Noctis was, but she was glad to know he wasn't staring because of her face. It was a very welcomed change.
Casually reaching for her notebook with the free arm, her face remained neutral to the subject.
"I have what's called a 'Wendigo" inside of me, I refer to him as Chiet. I've had him for three or four years now. If you don't already know, a Wendigo is a cannibalistic spirit."
She waited for the man, and potentially his demon (if he had any interest), to read what she had written before writing more. A small twinge of sadness, almost regret, appeared on her face before she did her best to hide it.
"I was born without a voice, and I had made a pact with a demon to get one, even though I didn't know what the demon was, exactly. There was an incident, and I sewed my mouth shut to prevent it from happening again. Atha is here to get rid of Chiet."
Aurore handed the notebook to the man, content with her explanation. If he wanted to know more, she would answer, but this is as far as she wanted to go on her own. Hopefully the man was pleased with the answer.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:45 pm
When Aurore explained her story, she would find that no sympathy would be garnered from Noctis. She didn't fish for it nor did he offer it. You could practically see the processing equipment in his brain warming up, his mouth opening to ask a question at times but closing, as if reconsidering his question. Miraculously, he stayed silent (mostly) throughout the story, except the sounds of chewing.
The ending seemed to satisfy him for the moment, staring critically in silence. His arm wrapped around Daichi's neck, pulling him closer. "No problem there! These guys are here to do something. It might take awhile but I have no doubt the end result's worth it." The silent message: Worth their lives. Ultimately, it was their lives as payment in the end. But that was the price each contractor payed. They knew full well, dabbling in the underworld's arts was no cheap task. Not at all. Some more than others.. Like Aurore.
Daichi, with his complacent personality, let the contractor use him affably, his arm still extended forward to sear a piece of salmon from the plate and into his mouth. He couldn't-- really couldn't-- care any less, his expression flooded with disinterest and a lack of emotion at his contractor's silly antics gave a look at Athanase. You've got a good contractor. Mines? Eh. Ehhhhh.
"As reluctant as I am to get back to your burnt cooking Noctis, don't you think we should get going soon? Imposing's rude you know. You asked the Miss enough questions for the day."
"I.. guess."
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