Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

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"Oh, ignore Gloria. I know plenty of women back home like this Gloria woman, and I tend to ignore them," he answered simply as he continued to dutifully tend to the bloodied hand, even if he had wanted to examine the wound with genuine interest, though, to save himself looking more suspicious about letting the 'human' comment slip, he opted to act more normal and simply bandage him up.

"I'm human, duh. Obviously," he continued after a moment of awkward silence. Any efforts to cover up the weirdness of his murmurings may have succeeded, if he hadn't gone further than was necessary by directly approaching the root of the comment. If he had left it, it would have been brushed under the carpet and forgotten about, but he wasn't the smartest when it came to the obvious, common sense things. "Gosh, me? Inhuman? That's dumb, huh? Psh..."​
 
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"I, uh... I wasn't doubting you..." Ivan replied slowly, his brows furrowing all the while as he finally took a proper seat on the marble floor. "Are you alright? You seem a bit... off. I mean, it's not surprising, eh? If you're friends with Makai, it isn't surprising. You Californians, with your avocados and stuff..."

Of course, he was beyond suspicious. This guy was strange enough, but he also was cute, so he desperately tried to just brush off the weird talking. Once his hand was properly patched, he flexed his hand once again before inhaling softly and rummaging to pick the glass much more carefully.
 
"Just... tired, from the travelling. Sorry. I'm not usually this awkward, I promise. I like to think I'm suave and charming, but I'm not Makai. That guy could sell sand in the desert, I swear. I'm... a little awkward, but I like to think it's endearing. Makai got all the girls and guys back home, I just slept with the ones he didn't want anymore," he admitted, surprising himself after the confessions by just how open and honest he was being. He could place it down on Ivan being so kind, but a small part of him at least wanted to share something that intimate with him. Why? He didn't really know, but he deep down realised that he enjoyed Ivan's company and wanted to prolong it as long as he could. Priest or not, Ivan was sweet, and cute, and didn't seem too happy with Makai, which was rare. Most people worshipped him, so to find someone who was suspicious was a brilliant find.

"Come on, can't we go eat now?" Moaned Azaiah as he knelt on the floor opposite him to at least lend a hand, careful not to cut himself on the glass. It would be hard to explain how the cut could heal itself in seconds and fail to bleed, after all.​
 
"Fine, we can go. I really do need to get back, though. I am sort of hungry, so you're lucky that I need to fill my stomach with something," he teased with a halfhearted smile, before dropping the shards into the garbage with a content sigh. There was nothing more rewarding than cleaning, especially when it was his church. With that, he practically spun on a heel to smile over at the demon, properly acting as if nothing happened... like many priest would. After all, Ivan was told some pretty messed up things, and it was his job to simply rest with that information.
 
"And you're sure we can go? You're not going to turn around and finish up cleaning again? Right? Awesome, let's eat! A nice burger with my brand new friend sounds pretty darn nice right now. As much as the church needs tidying, you cleaning up brains isn't that nice, is it? So take a break with me. I'm pretty fun, I think. I've been told I'm a great distraction-- which seems like a backhanded compliment now I say it aloud," he murmured suspiciously, his lips pouted again in annoyance now he realised the compliment he prided himself on probably wasn't as complimentary as it had seemed-- though, thinking about it now, he didn't expect anything less from Makai. The man had claimed to love him, but then he abandoned him, ran to the human realm and married some girl. He evidently wasn't the most trustworthy of men.​
 
"I mean... I guess it could be a good thing, depends on the situation," he protested, while carefully stepping over the mess. "I mean, you're certainly a good distraction for me right now. I guess it's pretty cheesy, but it's just nice to at least have met someone who isn't out to kill me, or rob me, o-or whatever. Not to mention, you haven't made fun of me for trying to fix all of this, you know? that's a pretty low request, to have some respect, but it's nice."
 
"Has Makai made fun of you for trying to fix everything? Like I said, he's to blame. Sure, you probably don't believe that, 'cause I get it's hard to understand, but trust me, I already know that Makai's the issue here. You let me take him home, and I guarantee every mad thing around here will stop," promised Azaiah with obvious confidence. He realised that his promises sounded completely ridiculous, but he knew that he was in the right, and he also knew that he had to bring Makai back. If that also meant helping out the priest he genuinely liked, then it was a fortunate bonus. "You're too good to be dealing with a shithead like Makai, anyway."​
 
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"I'm nothing special," he insisted bashfully, his face reddening to match the blood on his Khakis. He wasn't used to someone flirting and complimenting him , so it was natural for him to be a little awkward as he stiffly took a seat in his car
 
"Everyone's pretty special, I think. Makai says that that's a load of shit, 'cause every person can't be special, but I disagree I think. I like to be positive, which is rare considering where I come from. Down there, everyone's pretty selfish and egotistical, so trust me, you're refreshingly modest and special, if only in comparison to everyone back in my hometown," he shrugged as he hurried to plug his seatbelt in once watching the other, deciding that it would be best to copy his actions to avoid bringing further attention to his growing anxieties.

Moments ago, he wouldn't have cared if the other found him suspicious, but it was amazing how much could change in five minutes. Now, Azaiah was determined to conceal all of that and hide what he was just so he could hang around for awhile and interfere with Makai's plans... and hanging out with the priest was a nice addition, too.​
 
"That's some pretty nice thinking!" He beamed, grinning over at the other as he started his way towards a simple restaurant. Having two days out in a row was going to affect his wallet, for sure, but this man seemed way more likable and kind than Makai, and that was the man he was technically related too. If it weren't for the fact that the other was most likely leaving soon, he'd probably be beyond happy to start a solid friendship. "I've got a really nice place to go, to be honest. I don't go there very often..."
 
"Anywhere's cool, mate. I'm down for anything. I haven't tried food here," he grinned. Of course, with context, that comment more or less meant the fact Azaiah hadn't tried human food before, but without the all-important backstory, he realised that the indication seemed to be that he hadn't tried food from the area before. Thankfully, his desire to just babble on about the food back home -the bloody meats of centaurs and whatnot- had been quashed when he grew distracted of the genuine state out on the streets.

"...It's pretty bad here, then," he murmured slowly, eyeing a puddle of drying blood as the car passed the two-day scene of a murder, and the general depletion of anything picturesque and aesthetically scenic. "Shit... Why don't you move away? I mean, not that you would, you're dedicated, clearly-- but I'm a coward. I'm... from a pretty tough family. Hell, I have, like 7 brothers and they're all muscle-heads, but I'm not, and I'd have definitely left by now if I were a... resident here."​
 
"Like you said, it's my job to try and keep at least a little calm amongst the chaos. I would love to just move away somewhere less... messy... but that's not going to happen. I'm going to call to see if there's other priest who are willing to come and help me, later today," he explained, keeping his eyes locked forward while his knuckles grew white. After all, he wasn't blind, he saw the bloody scene and general havoc that was the complete opposite of his town only a week prior.
 
"Why do you need more priests? I'm here, right? I'll happily lend a hand! Makai may take some convincing, so I might be here awhile, so why don't I be your help? You don't need more priests around, poking their noses in. They'll claim it's, like, an attack from God or something, which I promise it isn't. God has busier issues to deal with," hurriedly reassured the demon as he turned to glare sternly at his new friend, just to get him off the idea of calling more priests. As nice as Ivan was, he was still a priest and a human. Azaiah was struggling as it was to keep his silence back and act normally. Having more priests around would be his idea of Hell, and it would only offer an incentive Makai to continue his tirade of torment. "...I can do the work of, like, four priests, okay? I'm stronger than I look."​
 
"You just said you were pretty weak," he teased lightly, while forcing a halfhearted smile. "i mean, if you're willing to work that hard, then I'm going to have to pay you, at least. I mean, no one else has offered other than Makai, and it seemed that the man was only doing it to tease him. "I mean, we just met, you really don't need to feel obligated. There's going to have to be a lot or restoration, and cleaning... maybe I should get a fence for the church, so people don't just willy-nilly wander in and shoot themselves."
 
"You are kidding, right? I don't need payment! I don't even get paid working for Makai's father, though I'm probably not brave enough to start asking for some pay-- not that I'm that weak! I mean, compared to my brothers perhaps, but I'm still stronger than any priest that you get in to help. Trust me, alright? We just met, but I'm a pretty decent guy and I can definitely help you out, free of charge, and do more than a whole gang of priests," persuaded the demon passionately, mostly because he really wasn't up for having a chance to show he could be useful taken away from him. He was usually overlooked in Hell, after all. The only reason he had been sent to collect Makai was because he wasn't deemed sufficiently important in his land - if he was somehow killed, things would continue without a hitch.

"Just... let me help? I don't get to help out much back where I'm from. I mean, I work closely with Makai's Dad, and that's... pretty cool, it's an honour, really, but... I'm disposable. He could fire me and hire someone in a few seconds to take over, so... I... I want to help and do a good job, really, so don't worry if I said I was weak. I swear, I'm pretty strong compared to you lot."​
 
"Id like to see you prove that. I mean, I may seem to be weak, but I'm pretty tough, I promise!" He insisted, if only to lighten the mood as they pulled up to the restaurant, laughing awkwardly when noticing just how normal it was. He was genuinely expecting the place to be burned down or something, so he was beyond pleasantly surprised.

"How long do you plan to be here? I want to make sure you have a place to stay, too. I might not have much money, but you've been such a nice person..."
 
"Dude, Makai would kill me if I showed up and announced that I was living with you for the next-- well, however long it takes to convince him to come home, anyway. I couldn't do that. Trust me, I'd love to see his expression and for him to show how he is behind whatever charming facade he's put on, but... could I really crash at yours? I'm a stranger, really. What if I'm a mass murderer? An insane weirdo who wants to burn you alive? I'm not, honestly, but you ought to be careful. But, considering I'm as nice as pie, I'll gladly crash at yours," he happily accepted, even after his babbling of murder and arson. He had set a few places on fire back in Hell in a teenage rebellion, but he wasn't really going to mention that. He needed a place to stay, and being under the same roof as Makai would be enjoyable, if only because Makai would have to try and force his real personality back from the surface. "THis place is real cute, dude. Do they do -what are they called again?-... Milkshakes? I'd love one of those."

​
[[ Hey, is everything cool with the other roleplays? ]]​
 
"I mean, our town may not look like much, but I can assure you that we've got the best milkshakes in all of Georgia," he reassured, his southern twang emphasized unconsciously, a smile on his face as he hurried to open the demon's door, a simple seeming action, though it meant quite a bit for the priest. "I hope this place is alright. Look, I have no problem with you staying a few nights. My sister is using the guest room, but there's the couch? If that's alright, I mean... Or the back patio. It hardly rains here lately, so you could enjoy the sun!"

(Yep, everything is fine! Busy day, the usual, so don't worry.)
 
"Y'know what, I'd love to sleep out on the patio, that'd be super cool. I could do with getting a nice tan, don't you think? I'm so pale-- so yeah, that'd be great, actually. I'm not that fussy, to be honest. Just a nice place to sleep would be great," the demon replied as he eagerly inched out of the car to eye the restaurant ahead, practically humming in delight. He was genuinely hungry, having gone without food a good twenty hours, and the thought of a hot meal, a place to sleep after it and a chance to piss Makai off were all perfect.

Though, the smile did vanish from his face at the sight of said man leaning casually against the wall of the restaurant, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips until spotting the two ahead, raising a hand in smug welcome. Strolling across after putting out the smoke, he adjusted his smart jacket and ruffled up Azaiah's blonde locks playfully, his eyes straying from him to Ivan. "I knew you were going to be here, it was inevitable. May I at least come and eat with you both, considering I wasn't allowed to come help you clean up, Ivan? I'd like to catch up with my-- I'm sure he's already told you. He doesn't quite seem to shut up."

"...Makai, hey! H-Hey, it's... really cool you came to see me-- it's pretty creepy, not gonna lie, but... it's... it's great!" Beamed Azaiah, unable to hide his nervousness as he physically withdrew from Makai's intense and cold stare. "...Of course you can join us, duh. As if I could say no, a-aha..."​
 
"You may not be able to, but I can." Ivan replied flatly, his own glare towards Makai matching as he crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing disapprovingly. "You insulted me, and you've insulted my religion. I'm only going to let you stay in my house for Laura, at this point, to be honest. Until I hear an apology, you can not eat with us. Understood?"

Now, it was known that Ivan was generally a soft person, and tried to be the pest he could to people around him. That, of course, didn't mean he couldn't be solid when needing to be, and Makai was hit with that brute force. His eyes only drifted away to lock onto Azaiah, forcing back a look of disgust at just how willing the man was to let Makai join them,

"Why aren't you home with my sister? And how did you know we were going here? That's really uncomfortable, Makai."
 
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